The Baba Yaga of Vale
by Gunkatas
Summary: John Wick is pulled back from retirement to protect Vale against the monsters hiding amongst them. Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1 - Introductions

The Baba Yaga of Vale

Chapter 1 – Introductions

The first time any of them saw him was at The Club.

The Club is going full speed, even if it is still a week night. The various denizens came out to drink, dance, drug up and try to impress those of the opposite sex.

Yang walked in, surveying the dancers before slowly making her way over to the man she wanted to see.

She walked over to him as he finished talking with another person, going up to the bar and ordering a drink. "Strawberry Sunrise" she says, "no ice. Oh, and two of those little umbrellas!"

Junior gives her a brief once over. "Aren't you a little young to be in this club blondie?"

Yang smirks as she turns to him. "Aren't you a little old to have a name like Junior?"

Junior grunts in affirmation. "So, you know who I am. What do you want from me kid."

Yang is about to answer, but a nearby soft voice cuts through the sounds of music and dancing, grabbing their attention. "Junior."

Junior turns around and sees a man with black hair and a short beard, dressed in a dark, three piece suit standing next to them. Yang is surprised, as she didn't notice him at all even though she is facing his direction.

Junior tenses, before replying with a simple "John." He pauses before continuing, sweat appearing on his brow. "Are you here on business?"

"Afraid so." John give Junior a look. "Winston told me you have the information I need."

"I have lots of information." Junior says vaguely, "You'll need to be more specific."

Yang is getting annoyed at being ignored but decides to keep her mouth shut for now.

John's eyes bore into Junior's. "You know who I'm looking for, and you know where they are." He doesn't move but somehow becomes more menacing. "You know what I'm willing to do to get that information Junior."

The two have a staring contest, waiting for the other to blink. John stays calm while Junior is about to crack at any second. Junior opens his mouth but John speaks first. "Of course, I don't expect information to be free." John slowly pulls something out of his outside jacket pocket. "I'm willing to pay for it." He flicks it to the other man.

Junior fumbles a bit before getting a grasp of the object. He holds it in his hand and stares at the large Gold Coin. Junior looks at the Coin, then back to John, then back to the Coin before closing his hand around it and pocketing the currency. "Residential district, west side of the city. They're above an Atlesian restaurant that's a cover. They own the apartment building and every resident there is a member. It's a safe house so there's no civilians there, except maybe the employees in the restaurant below, but they would know who they're working for."

John nods "I know the place." He turns to leave, but Junior calls out to him.

"John." He stops and turns back to Junior. "They know you're coming."

"I know" the man replies, "but it won't matter." He pauses before nodding. "Junior."

Junior reciprocates. "John." The man leaves, disappearing into the crowd as he heads towards the exit.

The Twins walk up to Junior, and all three look towards where John Wick walked off. "Was that, like, who I think that was?" asks Miltia.

"Yes." Answers Junior, pulling out the Gold Coin again. He looks at it for a bit before handing it off to Melanie. "You two, take this and put it in the safe." Melanie takes it, nodding in understanding of what the Coin is capable of buying. The Twins walk off, extra alert as they go to put away the precious object.

Junior sighs, rubbing his brow before turning back to Yang. "Sorry about that. You wanted something from me?"

Yang lets her irritation drop as she smiles back. "Yep. I hear you're the guy to talk to when you want to find somebody. And from that little conversation you just had, I think you'll be able to tell me what I want."

"Really" Junior says, rolling his eyes. "Before that, why don't you tell me what your name is sweetheart."

Yang reaches out and grabs Junior by the balls. "I've got several, but for now, you can call me sir."

Things escalated from there.

The next day, Yang sees a news report about a gun battle at an apartment complex that leaves over thirty suspected mobsters' dead, including the son of their leader, but doesn't connect it with the mysterious man from the night before.

* * *

The groups' second encounter with the mysterious man happens a few nights later, just outside From Dust till Dawn.

Ruby has just knocked out all the henchmen, forcing Torchwick to have to come outside as the sound of gunshots start to disperse to the distance. "You were worth every cent, you truly were." He mockingly states to the downed men.

Roman drops his cigar. "Well Red, this has been an eventful night, and as much as I'd like to stick around, I'm afraid we'll have to cut this short." He points the cane at Ruby, but before he pulls the trigger a male voice calls out to him.

"You sure you want to do that?"

The two combatants pause. The criminal looks over to his right and sees a man clad in a dark suit. Roman recognizes who it is. "Evening John."

"Evening Roman."

"You, uh, you working tonight?"

John has a small smile on his face. "Not really."

Roman doesn't believe him. "I'm pretty sure you don't wear that suit just because you want to look dashing."

"I was actually on my way to see Winston about something when I heard gunshots and the sound of fighting coming from a shop I frequently visit." John looks around at the knocked out thugs and the broken window. "Thought I'd check it out, make sure no one was trying to do anything."

"Oh." Roman sweats at that declaration. If he had known that, the thief would most definitely not have attempted to rob the place. _'Well'_ Roman thinks, looking back towards Ruby, _'Even with Red here, I'm sure I can take him. He's been out for a while anyways.'_

Roman looks back at John. _'Oh who am I kidding, it's John Wick. If Neo was here, I may have had a chance_.'

Ruby doesn't understand what's going on, but she doesn't want to get a civilian involved if she can help it and stays crouched in her combat stance ready to intercept any attack the criminal may launch at the other man.

"So that's all you came here for?" Roman says, trying to buy some time. "If that's the case, I'll leave this store alone. I just have to deal with Red here and I'll be on my way."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that Roman."

Roman grinds his teeth. "And why not?" he asks in frustration.

"I'm not the type of guy that can walk away when a hunter trained adult points his weapon at a young girl."

"Hey!" shouts Ruby, "I'm 15! I'm grown up! And don't talk about me like I'm not here!"

"See?" says Roman, "She's not a little girl, she's a pain in my ass!" John is unimpressed by that logic while Ruby splutters at the insult.

"So as long as I don't fight her, you won't get in my way?" Roman asks. John nods. "In that case." Roman angles the cane down slightly and pulls the trigger. Instead of hitting Ruby, the shot strikes the pavement a few feet in front of her, forcing the young girl to close her eyes as Roman makes his escape.

Ruby opens her eyes a few seconds later, finding the flamboyant criminal gone. She looks around before spotting him climbing up a ladder to a rooftop. She quickly makes her way up to stop him, completely forgetting about the other man at the scene.

John chuckles softly at the departing girl. He sticks around until he notices the telltale purple glow of Glynda Goodwitch using her semblance on a Bullhead and retreats back into the night, making his way towards his initial destination.

Ruby doesn't remember him until they meet again.

* * *

The group's next meeting happened the day after Ruby's own encounter.

Phyrra Nikos exited the Vale airport terminal. Her manager said that Ozpin sent someone to greet her, but she didn't know who it was.

Already, she could hear snippets of conversation, all about her, wondering why she is here and if they could get her autograph. She picked up her pace, hoping to get away from the stares and whispers, even though she knew she could never out run them.

In her haste, Phyrra nearly exited the terminal before a gentle voice called out to her.

"Miss Nikos!" Phyrra turned to see a black haired man with a neat beard, wearing a dark turtle neck, a suit jacket and dark pants. "Headmaster Ozpin sent me to pick you up." He pulled out a business card and handed it to her.

She inspects the card, seeing that it is one from her manager with writing on it that she recognizes is from the Headmaster. Phyrra sighs in relief before looking back at the man. "Thank you. Yes, I'm Phyrra Nikos."

The man smiles and Phyrra blushes for introducing herself to a man who is there to meet with her and already knows who she is. He doesn't say anything though, instead taking one of her suitcases and gesturing her to follow him.

They go outside where two police officers are waiting by a nondescript car. The man nods to one of the officers. "Thanks Jimmy."

The one on the right nods back. "No problem John." Both step away from the car as John puts her suitcase of clothes in the Trunk. Phyrra decides to keep the smaller suitcase that has her weapons and armor with her as she sits in the back seat.

He gets into the driver's seat and pulls out of the airport and onto the main highway into downtown Vale. She looks out at the scenery, watching the buildings pass by her for a few minutes. The silence is a bit strained to her, so she decides to speak to the driver.

"So, um, what's your name?"

He looks at her through the rearview mirror briefly. "My name is John."

She waits but he doesn't elaborate further. "Just John?"

"Just John."

"Oh." She says in a small voice. Phyrra looks out the window again, the rest of the ride passing in silence.

They pull up outside a very opulent hotel, John taking the car slip from the Valet before grabbing the suitcase from the trunk. He leads Phyrra inside and they make their way to the check in counter.

"Welcome to the Vale Grand Hotel. How may I assist you?" The receptionist asks.

John motions Phyrra forward. She does so and says "Phyrra Nikos, checking in."

"Of course Miss Nikos. Can I have your scroll to verify your I.D. please?"

Phyrra pulls out her scroll and inserts it into an Identification slot that is molded into the granite counter top. The receptionist checks her computer and verifies the identity of the person checking in.

"Thank you for that Miss Nikos. I have you for two nights, is that correct?" Phyrra nods. She decided to come two days early, which gives her one and a half days to explore Vale before Initiation starts.

"Wonderful." The receptionist types into the computer. "Your room has been paid for by your manager and we have a credit card on hand for any charges, which have already been pre-approved. This extends to our restaurant which is open from 6 AM to 11 PM every day, and room service is available until 2 AM." She proceeds to give Phyrra the hotels' amenities, including the local attractions and a few nearby restaurants. "Your scroll has been updated and will be used to access your room. I hope you enjoy your stay at the Grand Hotel."

"Thank You" Phyrra says, taking her scroll back. She and John make their way to the elevator, scanning her scroll to take them to the correct floor. She goes to the correct room and scans the scroll on the lock, letting them enter.

John merely pushes her suitcase inside, staying outside the room. "Miss Nikos." Phyrra turns to him. "If you need anything, my scroll number is on the card I gave you earlier. I am available today and tomorrow if there is any place you wish to visit. I will be here the day after tomorrow at 8 A.M. to take you to the Beacon Airship for your initiation."

"Thank you John." She says, grateful for his assistance.

"You're welcome ma'am." He closes the door and makes his way to the elevator, while Phyrra collapses on her bed and ponders on what to do next.

John exits the elevator at the lobby and heads for a cluster of couches and chairs. Sitting down next to a woman in a business suit, he looks at her and says "Afternoon Neo."

The woman appears to ignore him for a few moments before there is the soft sound of breaking glass and her appearance changes. Instead of a non-descript woman wearing a business suit, a young woman wearing a pink, white and brown outfit takes her place.

Neo huffs before signing back _"Afternoon John. Here on Business?"_

"Kind of." Neo raises her eyebrow in question. "Ozpin called in a favor I owed him. I'm here to escort Miss Phyrra Nikos around Vale until initiation. And seeing that you're here, it looks like his intuition is correct."

" _Who, me?"_ Neo signs, putting on an innocent expression. It would have worked if John didn't know exactly who she is.

Neo pouts when she fails to sway him. "I'm guessing Ozpin calling in his favor and you being here are related."

Neo doesn't answer but that's enough for him. "Why does Roman want you to follow a hunter in training, even one as famous as her?"

Neo shakes her head. "Roman didn't send you?" A nod. "Then who did?" Head Shake. "Can't, or won't tell?" Shrug. "Right." Nod.

"I can't let you follow her around Neo." Neo remains still for a few moments before giving a slight nod. John nods back. "Thank you Neo."

Neo points her chin at another group of men dressed in business suits sitting on the other side of the lobby. "I'll handle them later."

She smirks at him and points to herself before signing _"Professional Courtesy?"_

"Something like that." Her smirk turns into a smile as she activates her semblance. _"I'll be seeing you, John Wick."_

"I'll try to do the same." He stands up to the sound of breaking glass, and she's gone before he takes his first step.

He makes his way out the hotel front entrance, before turning and walking down the street. The group of men from before follow him outside and tail him at a distance.

Two days later, Phyrra doesn't connect her driver to the six dead bodies the police found near the Hotel.

* * *

A week after Initiation, John is riding the Bullhead to Beacon. Ozpin called, saying that he needed his assistance with something important. The man may be addicted to Coffee, but he wouldn't call John up unless something truly needed to be done, especially since he's out of favors.

John steps off the Bullhead and makes his way inside the school. It's currently between classes, and the students are all in the in the hallways. They give him a strange looks, as he is an adult that they don't recognize. It may also be because dressed in a white t-shirt that's stained with oil, a leather jacket, jeans and slip on penny loafers. John ignores them all as he makes his way to the elevator.

He rides it all the way to the top, entering Ozpins office to see the Headmaster and his second in command there.

Ozpin looks up from his desk to see who had just arrived. "Mr. Wick." He says. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. Please, have a seat."

John sits down across from Ozpin and waits. Ozpin and Goodwitch look at him without saying anything for a few minutes. "Ozpin" he says, "You asked me to come here. If you're going to waste my time, I'll just leave."

"My apologies Mr. Wick." The Headmaster says, "I was just gathering my thoughts. I didn't expect you to be here until tomorrow."

"I'm not one to Procrastinate Headmaster."

"Truly, you are not." Ozpin takes a sip from his mug. "I called you here to offer you a job for the next year."

Wick raised an eyebrow. "A job?" he asks, "Here. At your school." He looks around the room. "What should I teach, assassination and sabotage?"

"No, I have Glynda and Peter for that." He pushes a folder across the table. "I need you to deal with something within Vale itself."

John doesn't reach for the envelope. "I'm not that guy anymore Ozpin." He says quietly.

"Perhaps" he replies, "But even if you are a mere shadow of that person, you would be far better than anyone I could contact."

John still doesn't reach for the envelope. "What about Qrow?"

"Qrow is more suited for the outlands and Grim." Ozpin's eyes narrow, "I need someone that fights monsters disguised as humans."

Now knowing what exactly Ozpin wants from him, he slides the folder back across the table. "I can't help you."

"This effects your brother-in-law." Ozpin declares, causing John to pause in the middle of getting up. "This effects every single person in Vale, possibly all of Remnant, and it especially effects those who are attending Beacon Academy."

"What are you getting yourself into Ozpin?" John asks.

"There are forces at work, forces that are determined to undermine the Four Great Kingdoms and bring us all to ruin." He gestures John to sit back down, sliding the envelope back over to him. "Please, just look at it. Afterwards, we can call it even."

John raises an eyebrow again. "We are even."

"I remember doing you a favor and letting your brother-in-law into Beacon without a proper transcript."

"I remember escorting Phyrra Nikos around Vale and killing eight men to protect her."

Glynda snaps her attention to Ozpin and glares at him, while the Headmaster coughs in discomfort. "Right, I had forgotten about that." He murmurs. "Regardless, I am willing to pay you for your efforts." Ozpin pulls out a dozen Gold Coins and lines them up on the table. "One per month for your services."

John looks at the Coins, knowing what Ozpin had to do to get them. This must be the entire stash Beacon has, or most of it. "Are you truly that desperate?" he asks quietly.

"Yes."

That, more than anything, convinces John to pick up the envelope and look through it.

The information is sparse, seemingly not connected, but he could see the strings tying everything together if he looked hard enough. ' _Ozpin is right'_ he thinks, _'something big is going to happen in Vale within the next year.'_

He closes the folder and puts it back on the table, saying nothing.

"Well?" Ozpin asks.

John remains silent for a few more moments before nodding.

Ozpin sighs in relief before sliding one of the Coins across the desk. He is surprised when the man slides the Coin back. "I'm not doing this for money."

Ozpin is shocked and before he can stop asks "Then why are you doing this?"

John Wick merely stands up and nods to the Headmaster. "Ozpin."

Knowing he won't get an answer, he nods back. "Mr. Wick."

John the nods to Glynda before turning around and walking towards the elevator. He enters the doors and rides it back to the ground floor.

Ozpin lets out another sigh of relief, closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair.

"Ozpin" says Glynda, "are you absolutely sure we need someone like him?"

He stands up and grabs his mug and cane before walking to the windows overlooking Beacon and Vale. "I do Glynda." He looks at the young adults milling about the campus grounds, knowing that something is going to happen soon that may rip their lives apart. "You need one Baba Yaga to kill another."

* * *

John exits the elevator and makes his way to towards the front door. On his way though, he runs into a familiar face.

"Uncle John?"

He stops and turns, seeing blonde hair and blue eyes that are achingly familiar. "Hey Jaune."

Jaune runs up to the man his sister married and hugs him. John hugs him back. "It's good to see you again uncle."

"It's good to see you too, kid." They part and look at each other.

"What are you doing here?" Jaune asks.

"Ozpin wanted to talk to me about something." Jaune gets a nervous look on his face. "Don't worry, it's not about the favor I asked of him."

Jaune lets out a breath of relief, wiping sweat off his brow. "Phew. Had me worried there for a moment." He looks back at his uncle. "I never thanked you for doing that, did I?"

"No worries kid." John ruffles Jaune's hair, ignoring the protest. "Helen asked me to help you and I did."

The mention of his sister brings a pang of pain to Jaune's heart. He pushes it to the side, he'll grieve later. "Still though, I want to say thanks. Without your help, I wouldn't have gotten into Beacon."

He accepts the thanks, knowing that it would be useless to argue. Jaune speaks again. "I haven't seen you since the funeral. Are you doing ok Uncle John?"

"I'm doing better now Jaune." He replies, getting a smile of sympathy in return. He decides to change the subject. "How are you fitting into Beacon?"

"Great!" Jaune says, excitement lighting his eyes. "I, uh, I was made the leader of my own team!"

"Really?"

"Really!" he puffs out his chest in pride. "Jaune Arc, Leader of team JNPR."

John is impressed. "Congratulations kid."

"Hehe," Jaune rubs the back of his head in embarrassment. "Thanks." He looks off to the side and sees the rest of his team coming towards him. "Oh, let me introduce you to my team mates."

"That's not really necess-" but is cut off by a loud shout.

"Heeeeey Jauney!" Nora yells, even though they are not that far apart. "Why'd you run off like that?!"

"Heh, sorry about that" Jaune replies. Gesturing to the man besides him, the team leader makes the introductions. "Team JNPR, let me introduce you to my brother-in-law, John Wick. I call him Uncle John. Uncle John, let me introduce you to team JNPR: Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren and Phyrra Nikos."

John greets them individually. "Miss Valkyrie, Mr. Ren, Miss Nikos."

"Wait, wait" Nora interrupts, "If he's your brother-in-law, why do you call him Uncle John?"

Jaune blushes while John explains. "Jaune's father doesn't have any siblings while his mother only had sisters. Jaune said he always wanted an Uncle, so I told him and his siblings to call me Uncle John when I started dating his oldest sister."

"Awww, that's so cuuuuute!" Nora squeals, causing Jaune to blush an even deeper red. Phyrra thinks it's cute as well, but doesn't voice it. Nora continues talking "But still, Jaune and John, it must have gotten confusing."

"Only in the beginning." Jaune says. "That's also part of the reason we call him Uncle John."

Nora and Ren nod in understanding while Phyrra steps forward. "Mr. Wick" all eyes turn to her, "Thank you for escorting me around Vale before initiation."

"It's no problem Miss Nikos." He replies, "I was merely returning a favor I owed Ozpin."

Further conversation is halted by the sound of a bell over the intercom system. "Oh no guys" Jaune exclaims, "That's the two minute warning. We gotta run or we'll be late to class!"

The four students start running down the hallway, though Jaune yells back over his shoulder. "Sorry about this Uncle John, it's nice seeing you again, see you later, bye!"

John chuckles at their antics. He squares his shoulders and exits the main door of Beacon, ready to go to Vale and do Business.

* * *

#

* * *

AN:

Edited: 2/1/2017 A few words, change placements of some things, helps the flow more.

And that's chapter 1.

I've been wanting to do a RWBY story for a few months now, and with John Wick Chapter 2 coming out, I wanted to do a John Wick story.

Let me know what you think.

I have a few ideas of where to take this story, but updates are going to be erratic. Don't be surprised if several months pass between chapters.

BTW, I wrote this entire story in about 8.5 hours.

Peace,

GunKatas.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Beginning

Chapter 2 – The Beginning

Team JNPR pounded down the hallway to class, barely making it in before the bell rang. Dr. Oobleck is still writing on the blackboard, a flurry of movement and calligraphy none of them could follow. Without turning around or stopping he addresses the students. "Alright, everyone to your seats. I will be with your shortly, I just need to finish up some of these notes so that you may write them down for your – notes!"

The class start talking amongst themselves while they wait. Jaune turns to Pyrrha and asks, "How do you know Uncle John?"

"He said Ozpin asked him to escort me around Vale before Initiation." She replies.

"Ah. That must have been the favor he was talking about."

Ren raises an eyebrow. "Favor?"

"Well," Jaune replies hesitantly, "you know how I didn't go to a formal combat school like the three of you did?" They nod. "Well, Uncle John asked Ozpin to let me take part in the Initiation even without a formal transcript as a favor. Said that's the most he could do for me, as I would need to earn my place at Beacon myself. Him escorting Pyrrha around Vale must have been the favor Ozpin used."

Ren nods in understanding. "Did he do anything else for you?"

Jaune scratches his chin. "He taught me some hand to hand combat and unlocked my Aura for me about half a year ago. He said I couldn't go to an Academy with my Aura still locked away."

"Hand to hand combat?" Pyrrha asks, intrigued. "But I've only ever seen you use your sword and shield."

"Uncle John said it's not the kind you use against Grimm, but against people. He also said not to use it unless a life was in danger. He was pretty serious about it. That's why I'm using a sword and shield."

Further conversation is halted as Dr. Oobleck turns to face them. "Now" he says, in his usual fast pace. "Today we will be covering the way Dust was originally used to interact with metals to form a catalyst that…" and Jaune is lost already.

-|#|-|#|-

* * *

John steps out of his car in front of The Club, having decided to come here directly from Beacon. It's still the afternoon, so the building would be closed unless it's for a delivery. John heads to the back, coming up to the rear entrance and knocking.

One of Junior's men opens a slot in the door and looks at him. "What do you want?"

"I'm here to talk to Junior."

"About?"

"Business."

The guard looks at John for a few seconds before talking into his radio. "Boss, there's a man at the back entrance who wants to talk to you about some business."

John looks up and to the right, where a security camera is pointed at him.

" _Bring him to my office."_

The grunt opens the door and motions John inside, closing and locking the entrance afterwards. Another grunt starts leading him to Junior's office. Once there, he opens the door to let John walk in.

Junior is sitting at his desk, the Twins off to one side resting on a couch. John nods to the man. "Junior."

Junior nods back. "John." He motions the other man to sit down before pouring some bourbon into two glass cups. "What kind of business do you have with me?"

"Roman has been using your men as muscle on some business recently." John says before taking a seat and grabbing a cup, taking a sip as Junior nods. "I'm here to suggest you don't allow that to happen anymore."

Junior is surprised but doesn't show it. "Why do you say that?"

"I can't guarantee their continued employment with you should I run into them outside of this establishment while Working."

Junior looks at the John speculatively but nods in agreement. "I see. Thank you for informing me. I'll make sure to cut my business dealings with him for the foreseeable future."

John nods back. "Thank you." He finishes his drink, as does Junior. John places the cup back on the table. "What can you tell me about all the Dust Roman is collecting?"

Junior shrugs. "Not much, I don't know any more than you do. Dust has always been part of his acquisitions, but the amount taken lately is far above normal. The fact that he has to hire outside contractors shows the scale of his operations. Whether this is just a temporary project or permanent expansion is currently unknown. He's not exactly lacking in Human Resources, and there's rumors he's in a partnership with the White Fang, with the possibly a merger." Junior tilts his head and looks at the man across from him. "Why are you getting into this? I thought you were retired."

"I'm working on it." John stands up and nods to the other man. "Junior."

Junior nods back. "John."

John turns around and walks out of the office, leaving the three alone. Junior turns to the Twins. "Inform our men, no one is to take so much as a single lien from Roman Torchwick until I say so." They nod and stand up, exiting the room to tell the underlings personally to clarify the importance of the order.

As they leave, Junior picks up the phone and dials a number. The phone rings twice before being answered by a jovial voice. _"Ah Junior, good timing. I have a little job I need assistance with tonight, no more than half a dozen of your men are needed. This will be provided to me for free of course, as compensation for their lacking performance two weeks ago."_

"About that Roman," Junior interrupts. Roman always loved to hear himself talk, he could go for hours. "Unfortunately, I will not be able to provide any more services for you."

The line is silent for a few moments. _"Junior. Are you telling me no?"_

"That's correct."

" _And why"_ says Roman, all traces of mirth gone, _"would that be Junior? Hmm? What could possibly tempt you to deny me your services? Especially since you know exactly what I would do to you and yours if you ever said no to me."_

"It was a request."

" _A request to deny me your assistance?"_

"Yes."

" _And may I ask whom exactly made this request?"_

"John Wick."

There is silence for a few heartbeats. _"Oh." *click*._

Junior puts the phone back on the receiver and sighs, before pouring some more alcohol into his cup and taking a large gulp. He then picks up the phone and calls a few more people to warn them.

-|#|-|#|-

Evening rolled around, and John Wick approached a supposedly disused warehouse in his Business clothes.

White Fang members are currently moving crates of Dust and other supplies around inside, as well as guarding against attacks. Though they have greater night vision, John knows how to evade them well enough to catch one off guard, snapping his neck quietly and putting the body aside. He enters through the 2nd floor emergency exit, making sure to not make any sound. Luckily, the terrorists inside are too busy to notice his entrance. He makes his way over to a cat walk along the short side of the large room and surveys the scene below him.

The warehouse is split into several sections by the supplies inside. He can see Dust, weapons, ammunition and food being moved from trucks to storage and vice versa. There are roughly three dozen Fang members inside the warehouse, with more undoubtedly standing guard somewhere outside.

He makes a plan of attack, just as two Faunus exit what looks to be an old manager's office and sees him. "Hey!" one of them shouts, "What are you doing-" John draws his handgun and fires off two head shots. With all attention drawn to him, he leaps off the railing, spotting three terrorists beneath him.

He shoots the ones on the left and right in the head as he drops, then crushes the one directly beneath him before finishing her off with a headshot. He then snaps his gun forward, opening fire as he moves down the center aisle.

Several more terrorist die as they try and fail to get into cover. John's aim doesn't waver as it moves from one to target to another, the compensator helping to keep the muzzle level. He rolls underneath a sword swing, coming up to a knee and shooting the terrorist in front of him twice in the chest and once in the head before turning around and putting one in the eye of the sword wielder. He turns around, standing as he does so and puts three rounds in a third Faunus before the slide locks back. He drops the magazine and flicks it to the side, slapping in a full mag and taking cover.

The White Fang are starting to get organized, guards coming inside while others fled. Everyone that stayed was either armed with a gun or a sword. John crouches and waits, gun at the ready. A shadow comes into view and he immediately turns the corner, grabbing the Fang member and using his body as a shield, shooting over the shoulder while moving forwards. He then kicks the member down, finishing him off with a headshot as three come behind him.

He turns 180 degrees, popping off three more headshots before rolling backwards into cover. Turning left, John shoots a female trying to ambush him before he stands and pivots right - headshot, pivot center – stomach-chest-head, pivot left – chest-chest-chest-head. He finishes off the female trying to crawl away, the slide locking back empty again.

Flicking the empty mag away, the reload is interrupted by a Faunus bum rushing him, pushing him into a metal container. An Aura enhanced elbow breaks the terrorist's back before the body is pushed up and away, allowing John to reload and finish the Faunus off with two headshots.

With only 12 members left the remaining terrorist decide to retreat, but John won't let them get away that easily. Two trucks start up, a few Fang laying down covering fire while the rest fall back. John crouches down and flanks to their left, staying out of view until he approaches their cover and they end up in a straight line. He takes down the four with guns, landing headshots on all of them before turning and killing the two in the first truck. The second truck guns it, tires squealing with a few of the terrorist climbing into the back as it exits the warehouse.

John sprints across the warehouse and out the door, opening fire on the truck before the slide locks back, two bodies falling out the rear of the truck. Instead of reloading, he pulls out a special bullet and puts it directly in the chamber, releasing the slide before taking aim and hitting the back of the passenger cab. He then watches as the truck leaves, the rear cargo doors still open as a few of the Faunus stare at him. The truck soon turns a corner and disappears from view.

John lowers the gun before pulling out his scroll, opening up an app that can follow the signal of the special tracking bullet he fired, recording the route it takes and the locations it stays at. The battery will only last 86 hours at most, but they will hopefully bring it to at least one more safe house before it dies. And with all the bullet holes, they shouldn't look at any one of them too closely.

Car headlights and flashing police lights shine on him from the right, and John brings his gun hand up to shield his eyes. The headlights dim as an officer steps out of his vehicle, allowing John to lower his hand and see who it is.

"Evening John."

"Evening Jimmy. Noise complaint?"

The officer slowly nods. "Noise complaint." He looks and sees the dead White Fang in the parking lot. "You uh, you working again?"

"Something like that." John puts away his scroll and reloads the gun before holstering it. "Something for Ozpin, he can explain it to you if you want."

"No, no, that's ok." The officer waves it off before looking at the warehouse. "More inside?"

John nods. "More inside. You mind coming back in an hour? I need to look through some things first."

"No problem John." He pauses getting halfway in the car. "This something I should know about?"

John shrugs. "Maybe. I'll tell Ozpin what I learned. If he doesn't tell VPD, I'll tell you the important parts."

The officer nods. "Thanks. Well, I'll leave you be then. Night John." He says as he gets back in the car.

"Night Jimmy." John watches as the flashing lights are turned off and the car drives away.

Turning back towards the warehouse, he goes inside to start searching for some information that can be used.

-|#|-|#|-

 **Next Day, Headmasters Office – Beacon**

Ozpin ends the call with John Wick, bringing up the data from the tracking app that he shared with them. They've identified at least one more warehouse, possibly two though the latter may just be a safe house or recruitment center. The Tracking App is widely used throughout all of Remnant, with Beacon itself utilizing the app as a homing beacon for the rocket lockers and to keep track of student's whereabouts. Ozpin never really gave the app a second thought, though if it is something Wick would use in this situation he has to wonder how much influence the Organization truly has.

Ozpin notes the locations the truck stopped at, making a reminder to have both sites under discrete observation. Glynda watches all this with pursed lips, indicating her displeasure.

The headmaster takes a sip from his mug before glancing at the deputy headmistress. "See Glynda? One day and we already put a dent in their operations."

"True" she replies, "but at what cost?" Goodwitch turns on the TV, the display showing the warehouse John Wick had cleared out behind police tape as bodies are being carted out. "Over 25 Faunus are dead. How many more will die before this ends?"

"You know those deaths would have been unavoidable no matter what methods we used. And as callous as it is for me to say, better 25 dead Terrorists than 25 dead civilians."

Glynda purses her lips again but doesn't say anything to refute the statement. The Headmaster decides to change the subject. "How are the first year students doing?"

She glares at him, but lets the blatant redirect go. "They are doing well. We have several outstanding teams at the moment, though I worry if some of the leaders are up to the task."

"Oh?" Ozpin raises an eyebrow, "Which individuals would these be?"

"Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc and Cardin Winchester." Ozpin nods in understanding. "Miss Rose, though gifted in combat, is far behind in the normal curriculum. Without some intense effort on her part, I'm afraid she will be left further and further behind."

Ozpin nods.

Glynda pushes up her glasses. "Though Mr. Arc is up to speed on school work, his combat scores are abysmal. He shows some training, but his sword and shield are not up to par yet. I've seen him improving, but is still below what is acceptable for a first year student."

"And Mr. Winchester?"

"Though he is … adequate in both theoretical and practical coursework, problems with his personality have not endeared him to many of his classmates outside of his team. This will be a devastating problem in the future if it is not resolved soon."

Ozpin is about to respond when a call window opens up on his desk. " _Headmaster? We're having an issue with two students in the dining hall."_

Glynda spoke up. "I'll be down there in a moment."

* * *

Glynda Goodwitch strode into the cafeteria to see two first year Team Leaders about to come to blows. She whipped her riding crop to the side, creating a loud crack that drew all the attention to her. "Children" she says, pushing up her glasses once more, "What is going on here?"

Cardin Winchester has a sneer plastered on him. "Just a disagreement Miss Goodwitch."

"Yeah," replies Jaune, fury on his face as he looks at the other boy, "just a disagreement over who the real animal is here."

Cardin snarls, rearing his fist back but is stopped by another loud crack. Goodwitch speaks again. "Fighting is not allowed in the cafeteria. If you have a disagreement, the combat arena is the place to resolve them. I suggest you two move there." They stayed in place. "Now" she commanded.

Ten minutes later the combat arena stands are packed with students, mostly from the first and second years. Cardin is dressed in his combat armor, two handed mace out and ready. Goodwitch is on her scroll, setting up the standard arena protections and rules. Jaune walks out of the locker room, still dressed in his school uniform but holding his sheathed sword.

"Mr. Arc" says the deputy headmistress, "Why are you not in your combat outfit?"

"Don't need it" he replies.

Glynda raises an eyebrow, but Cardin speaks first. "Che. You're getting cocky Jaune. You fight like crap with your armor, what makes you think you have a chance without it?" he says with a sneer.

Jaune just smirks, making Cardin even angrier. Glynda sighs but steps back and begins the match.

Cardin rushes in, knowing that Jaune mainly hides behind his shield, but is surprised when the other boy merely tosses his sheathed sword aside, leaving him weaponless. Cardin doesn't stop and takes a large swing at the other boy.

Jaune ducks under the swing and kicks Cardin in the knee with his heel. Cardin buckles, but is able to recover with a backhanded swing before Jaune can do anything else. Jaune skips backward, easily dodging the mace and getting into a fighting stance.

Cardin stops as his knee hurts more than a kick should have been able to inflict but Jaune merely taunts the other boy, making a 'come on' move with his hand.

For all his bluster however, Cardin is not stupid when it comes to combat. He runs over and makes smaller, less telegraphed swipes but each one is dodged. Finally, he loses patience and makes a large swing for Jaune's left shoulder, which the boy ducks and retaliates with a liver shot, a hook to the face and a kick to the chest to push Cardin away.

Cardin stumbles backward, breathe hitching, side and face stinging from the blows but not badly hurt. The crowd is starting to get into it, once Jaune shows that he won't be going down as quickly as he normally does. His friends are impressed, as this is a side of him they have never seen before.

Cardin comes back swinging, each miss being met with a quick jab to the face or low kick to the knees and ankles.

"Oof," says Yang, "he's being merciless."

"GO JAUNE GO" yells Ruby and Nora.

"What do you mean Yang?" asks Pyrrha, as Jaune knees Cardin's left kidney. She is happy that her partner is able to fight effectively against the bully, but wonders why he didn't fight like this before. She can't place the fighting style either, as he doesn't fight with the normal flashiness that a hunter normally would. Instead, it's all small, controlled movements and precision strikes. She's never seen anything like it before.

"I think she is commenting on how Jaune unerringly strikes Cardin whenever the opportunity presents itself." Replies Weiss. Indeed, Jaune just tossed Cardin over his shoulder onto the floor, where he punched him in the face three times before jumping back to dodge an awkward swing from the Mace. The bully staggers back onto his feet, face red and breathing heavily.

"That too, but I'm talking about where he's hitting Cardin rather than how much." Six heads turn to her for explanation. "Look, how much hand to hand combat training have you girls – and Ren – had? Not much, right?" Yang knows Ruby was taught some by their dad, but it's not anywhere near as much as she learned. Everyone nods, even Pyrrha even though she probably had more than the others except for Yang. "I can tell you right now, he's not fighting like this is a spar. He's fighting like he wants to break Cardin."

"What do you mean?" asks Ruby, afraid her friend would do something cruel.

"Well," says Yang, finger tapping her chin as she tries to think of how to explain the situation, "you see where Jaune has been striking right?"

They turn just as the boy in question hits Cardin in the chin with an upward palm strike, pushing the taller boy backwards. "Yeah, just like that. Every hit Jaune has landed has been to the temple, eyes, jaw, liver, kidney, knee or ankle."

"All valid targets" says Weiss.

"I'm not saying they're not, but each location is where you hit to either disorient or disable someone. Whoever taught him to always hit those places plays for keeps. Also, a few of those spots I was told never to hit during a spar, as they could be crippling blows."

"What?" Pyrrha, Ruby and Ren ask in surprise.

"Temple and jaw strikes shake the brain to disorient," Yang ticks off each point with her fingers, "hits to the eye puff up the skin slowly shrinking your field of vision to nothing, liver and kidney strikes make it hard to breathe and sap your strength, knee and ankle strikes lower mobility until you can't even stand. It's the last two I was warned about, cause if you hit them too hard the other guy isn't going to walk correctly ever again. Jaune is picking Cardin apart piece by piece. If he keeps this up, I'd be surprised if Cardin can remember his own name at the end, much less stand and walk." They watch as another kick causes Cardin's knees to buckle, but he doesn't fall down and swings again wildly. "Jaune wasn't taught how to fight, he was taught how to destroy."

The spectators continue to watch and cheer as Cardin is now in the orange, while Jaune is still in the green though sweating slightly. A few more hits to the head and Cardin has lost any sort of patience he once had. He comes in swinging wildly, detonating the Mace at random times. Jaune dodges everything by a hairs breath until he is clipped in the arm and sent spinning to the floor. He recovers by rolling backwards to his feet, dodging a downward strike and the subsequent explosion.

Emboldened by his first successful attack of the fight, Cardin rushes Jaune with wild, powerful swings. Jaune decides to end the fight and drops to one knee to dodge a swing. He punches Cardin on the inside of the right thigh, striking a nerve and locking Cardin up for a moment. Jaune then uppercuts the other boy in his unprotected groin, eliciting a wince from the audience. As Cardin doubles over, Jaune grabs his head and brings it down onto a rising knee.

Cardin stumbles backwards, arms flailing and off balance but Jaune doesn't give him time to recover, jumping on to the other boy and wailing on his face with this left fist, riding Cardin to the ground where he continues to punch him. Cardin tries to ward Jaune away with his Mace, but Jaune grabs the right arm and spins his body around into an arm lock, back on the floor, hands around the wrist and legs around the arm below the elbow. He arches his back and Cardin screams out loud, fingers loosening until he drops his Mace.

Jaune tosses the Mace out of the stage and spins both bodies until he is lying above Cardin. He then wraps his left leg around Cardin's neck, tucking the left foot under Cardin's right arm which he still has a hold of. Jaune then arches his back once more, forcing Cardin to choke himself to while trying to stop Jaune from breaking his arm.

Cardin's attempts at escaping slowly diminish as his blows become weaker and weaker as he is left gasping for air. Jaune keeps his hold, just as he is taught until his body is covered in a purple glow.

"I said stop!" yells Goodwitch, prying Jaune off with her semblance and throwing him backwards. She then walks over to Cardin, who is still lying down on his back unmoving. She crouches down and checks his pulse, before confirming that he is still breathing. She stands back up and turns to his team mates. "Team CRDNL, please take Mr. Winchester to the infirmary." They nod and move forward, picking up their team leader and leaving the combat arena.

She then turns to Jaune, who just got back on his feet after being tossed like a rag doll. "Mr. Arc," she says, eyes narrowed, "Though I commend you on your win, please pay attention when I say the match is over. Ignore my instructions again, and it will be an immediate disqualification as well as grounds for further punishment." Her eyes flashed. "Don't, do that, again."

Jaune nods up and down repeatedly, extremely nervous and scared. "Good. Now, are you injured?" He shakes his head in the negative. "Very well." Goodwitch turns to the rest of the students present. "The fight is over. Everyone is dismissed." She then walks off the stage, as everyone else starts talking amongst themselves about the fight and leaving.

Jaune sighs in relief before he is glomped by mini-huntress in red. "JAUNE! THAT WAS SOOOO COOOL!" Ruby lets go of him and starts making exaggerated karate poses. "You were like ha! And ka-pow! And ke-yah!"

"I don't think he was that dramatic Rubes" laughs Yang, leading his other friends over to him. "Nice moves there Vomit Boy. Didn't know you had it in you."

The others congratulate him as well, causing him to blush at the praise.

"Still" questions Weiss, "how come we've never seen you fight like that before? You usually use your sword and shield." Though only a week into the new Semester, combat classes are held on Wednesday and Friday for first years. Each new attendee has already fought at least four times.

"Well, the hand to hand style I was taught is designed to fight people, not Grimm. I use a sword and shield most times as I need to get better with them before getting out into the field. Also, I was told never to use it unless my life or the life of another was in danger."

"Then why did you use it?"

"Because I couldn't beat Cardin normally and he needed to be taught a lesson about being an ass, especially to Faunus."

All his friends nod in understanding, though Blake starts to regard Jaune in a different light with the last statement.

As they walk back to their dorm rooms after Jaune put Crocea Mors away, Yang asks "So Jaune, who taught you how to fight?"

"My Uncle John did." He replies.

"Uncle?"

"Yeah he was here yesterday for something," he points a thumb at his team, "I ran into him with my teammates just before Ooblecks class."

"That's Doctor!" yells a faint voice.

Everyone looks around but can't find the source. "Huh" says Yang, "Well anyways, those were some pretty brutal moves you used, especially at the end."

"Yeah" Jaune scratches the back of his head, "like I said, I wasn't supposed to fight like that unless it was a life or death situation, but I think Uncle John would understand why I did it when he hears my reasoning."

They part ways once they get to the room, each team doing their own thing.

* * *

#

* * *

AN:

Chapter 2 came out pretty quick, I think I wrote this in about two weeks.

So, I had to wait until John Wick Chapter 2 came out before deciding if Jaune was going to be good at hand to hand combat. I say this because in the first movie, John Wick gets the shit kicked out of him every time it's against someone halfway decent: the ambush in the beginning, with the guy at the end of the night club shootout, Perkins in the hotel room, and with Viggo at the end. Most of the hand to hand in the film was just kinda 'meh' with John coming out usually worse, except for the one instance in his kitchen. The 2nd movie showed he knows what he's doing.

Not sure how many chapters this story is going to be, especially since I'm not doing a lot of Beacon stuff. Having John raid warehouse after warehouse would be boring also, so I'll keep that sparse. Also, he won't be at Beacon itself very often, mainly because there is no need to go there. If you look at the first volume as an entire semester as it should be, there are only a few things of note: Initiation, Jaune getting picked on, Weiss and Ruby regarding leadership, Forever Fall, the thefts at the Dock. I've already covered the first two with these two chapters, Forever Fall and Ruby's leadership doesn't concern John Wick at all, and the Dock is at the end of the semester. So if each semester at Beacon is, say, 3 months long, then there are still two and half months of filler I need to put in. There's gonna be many time skips, that's the only way I can keep the story from getting stale.

Next chapter will have Roman and Cinder, I think, as well as a little detail about the organization and how they work in this world, as well as John going to the Continental.

No pairings other than canon. No, John Wick is not going to get together with any of the students, Winter, Glynda, or anyone else. No, Jaune is not going to have a harem, the part about Blake is that this early in the school year she has no opinion on him other than that he doesn't fight with his sword and shield very well.

Yes, John Wick has a semblance, no I'm not going to tell you what it is right now, it will come out in the story much, much later.

Not sure how long each chapter is going to be.

Yes, the 'come on' hand motion is the same one Keanu does to Smith in the Matrix.

That should be it.

Peace,

Gunkatas


	3. Chapter 3 - Welcome Back

Chapter 3 – Welcome Back

Roman paced back and forth in an abandoned warehouse, smoking his fourth cigar in a row. Neo is leaning up against some wooden crates, watching him.

Three White Fang warehouses were hit in a month and a half. Over 100 members dead, and the rest are spooked. That doesn't include three safe houses, a recruitment center, and one of his own storage locations. All in all, things were going to shit, and it doesn't look like it will get any better.

If that wasn't bad enough, things have gotten to the point where his employer decided to come by to see where she could … improve things. So, death by John Wick, or death by Cinder Fall. He honestly prefers Wick, as John won't draw things out.

The sound of heels echo through the empty space, signaling the arrival of Cinder.

"Roman" she says, in her usual sultry voice. "Tell me, why am I here?"

"Because of my charming personality?" Cinder walks into view, Mercury and Emerald behind her. "And you brought the kids! Wonderful, everyone's here. Now we can be miserable together!"

Cinder walks up to the thief. Though shorter in stature, she seems to dwarf the other man as she crosses her arms and looks at him with annoyance.

"Roman, I have better things to do than find out why the help is failing me. Try to convince me to keep you around."

Roman puffs on his cigar some more in nervousness. "Ozpin has a new employee."

The dangerous woman raises an eyebrow. "And?"

"And, he's the reason why those animals have been having trouble staying alive."

Cinder sighs in annoyance. "And exactly who is this 'new employee?'"

Roman finishes his cigar, dropping it and crushing the stub under his foot, before reaching into this coat and pulling out another one. Producing a lighter, roman lights the flame. "John Wick." He lights the cigar and takes several more puffs.

Cinder and Emerald have no reaction, though Mercury blinks several times before going deep in thought.

"And who is John Wick?" Cinder asks.

Roman chokes on the cigar smoke, hacking out several coughs and doubling over at her question. Neo stares at Cinder with wide eyes, unable to believe what she just heard. Roman gets his breathing under control and looks at Cinder with disbelief. "You don't know who John Wick is?"

Cinder puts her arms on her hips. "Should I?"

Roman and Neo exchange looks of confusion, before Roman turns back to Cinder. His look of confusion is slowly changed to one of curiosity.

Cinder doesn't like that look. She's used to Roman looking at her with fear. Now he's looking at her like she's an idiot.

Roman speaks before she does. "You don't know about them. You're not part of The Organization." It's more of a statement than a question.

"No, I don't. No, I'm not." Cinder steps closer to the thief. "Is that going to be a problem?"

Roman quickly backs up, waving his hands before him. "NO! No, of course not." He takes a few more steps back to create some distance between them. "It's just…" he trails off before taking a deep drag off his cigar and exhaling. "I didn't think there would be anyone of your power that hasn't heard of them, or John for that matter."

Cinder raises her eyebrow and turns her underlings. "Emerald." The brown skinned girl stands to attention. "Have you heard of either the Organization or John Wick?"

Emerald shakes her head no. Cinder turns to Mercury. "What about you?"

"Huh?" he asks, pulled out from his thoughts.

"The Organization and John Wick" she says again, "Have you heard about either of them."

"Oh. Yeah, I have." The others look at Mercury in disbelief. "What?"

"Where did you hear of them from kid?" asks Roman.

"From my…father."

"Who's your father?"

"Marcus Black."

Roman thinks for a moment. "Ah. Marcus. Yes, one of the best assassins on Remnant. Haven't heard about him for about… three, four years. Right Neo?" Neo nods in agreement. "What happened to him?"

"I killed him." Mercury states flatly.

"Really?" questions Roman. "I've seen Marcus Work. I've seen you work. I know for a fact that you're nowhere near as experienced or powerful as Marcus was five years ago. How did you manage to kill him?"

Cinder interrupts them. "Mercury. Focus." She turns to Roman. "Stay quiet until spoken to." She turns back to Mercury. "Now, what did your father say about the Organization and John Wick?"

"The Organization is how he got his contracts. They're also who he purchased most of the specialized equipment from. They're the ones that made my legs if he's to be believed."

"Hmmm." Says Cinder, pondering on how she can use them to her advantage. "And John Wick?"

Mercury shifts uncomfortably, but answers the question. "Several times during his drunken benders, Marcus would complain about how he would never be considered the best. That there were always people considered better than him. Especially one person. Marcus talked about him more than anyone else."

"And this person is John Wick?" questions Cinder.

"Yes. When I asked him why, he said 'Let me tell you about John Wick. John is a man of Focus. Commitment. And Sheer Will. He can kill anyone he wishes. I was at a bar once and three men, three very stupid men, decided to try and rob it. He killed all of them in under five seconds, with a pencil. A _fucking_ Pencil.'" Emerald and Cinder stare at him upon hearing the story, while Roman nods and Neo silently giggles at the memory.

"That's not possible." Exclaims Emerald disbelievingly.

"Oh, it is." Says Roman. Cinder, Emerald and Mercury turn to face him. "I wasn't there to witness it myself, but Neo was." They turn to petite woman, who smiles and waves at them.

"Regardless" says Cinder, "he is hindering our operations. We need him dealt with, immediately." She taps her chin with a finger, pondering. "I'm sure the police would be interested in his illicit affairs. As well as the existence of this Organization."

Roman and Neo look at her like she has four heads. "What?" he asks disbelievingly.

"I'm sure the Council or Ironwood would be interested in investigating something like the Organization."

Roman keeps giving her a blank look. "…Cinder. What makes you think each Kingdom doesn't know of, and use the services of, the Organization?" Cinder raises an eyebrow. "Do you think they got as large and powerful as they are without anyone knowing? Do you think the Council doesn't use people like Wick to get rid of people like me? Do you think that Ironwood hasn't personally hired Wick more than once?"

"Wait what?" interrupts Emerald, "Ironwood not only knows an assassin, but has hired him in the past?"

"Yes." Roman pauses. "Who do you think takes care of the Hunters that go rogue like me? I'm a thief, so other than being an annoyance, I don't pull much attention to myself, I don't increase negativity towards 'Humanity's Best and Brightest.' I'm not worth the cost. But those that break and become killers? Who snap and decide to try and form their own countries, or slaughter entire villages? They need to be dealt with quickly and quietly. Using other Hunters would bring down morale and tarnish their reputation as humanities defenders."

Cinder is starting to see how it works. "So the corrupt Council tolerates the existence of a criminal organization to hide their failures."

"Something like that. But that's only one part of their business dealings. I can guarantee that at least one member of each council sits on the High Table."

Cinder tsks and turns away from the thief, starting to pace while thinking out loud. "So we can't go to the authorities. Maybe I can turn him to our side instead." She turns back to Roman. "Can you get me in contact with John Wick?"

"Sure."

"Good. How quickly can you do so?"

"Right now if you want." She raises and eyebrow. "The Organization is very efficient."

"Do it." Cinder orders. "Put it on speaker."

Roman pulls out his scroll, turning on the speaker before dialing a number from memory. It rings three times before being answered.

" _Operator, member account number please."_

"7436-7."

" _One moment please."_ The sounds of other Operators can be heard coming through the speakers, though the voices are too muffled to make out what they are saying. _"Account has been verified, how can I assist you?"_

"I need to be connected to someone."

" _Name?"_

"John Wick."

" _One moment while I connect your call."_

Silence comes through the line while the Operator makes the connection. _"The other party has accepted the transfer, connecting you now."_

There is a series of clicks as the call is transferred, before the phone rings once and is picked up. "John?" the thief asks. "It's Roman." No answer. "Listen, John, I'm calling because of the work you have been involved in recently. A business partner of the White Fang is with me right now, and would like to talk to you about" _-click-_ "some new opportunities you may be – hello?" The disconnected dial tone comes through the speakers. Roman ends the call and turns to Cinder. "He's not interested."

Cinder nearly snarls in annoyance at the dismissal but keeps her emotions under control. "I see." She again ponders for a solution. "Would this 'Organization' be willing to handle John Wick for us?"

"Yes, but it would take more zeroes than I can produce."

"Hmmmm." Cinder thinks again. As much as she is loath to, she may need some assistance from her associates. She may dislike asking for help, but she absolutely hates failing. "Keep our operations here going for now. I need to return to Haven before the weekend is over. I will come up with a plan to deal with our problem shortly."

Cinder turns around and leaves, Mercury and Emerald following her. Roman stands in the empty warehouse, wondering how he got stuck between a rock and a hard place, and how he could possibly get out of it alive.

-|#|-

 **Later that night**

John Wick pulls up outside the front of the Continental Hotel, getting out and informing the valet that he won't be long. Going to the trunk, he retrieves a Suit carrier holding three of his Business suits, handing it to the bell boy. "Bring these to the Tailor, she is expecting them." John hands him 100 lien and a Coin. The bell boy gives a short bow and takes the Suit carrier to its destination.

John enters the hotel, walking through the lobby to the receptionist. The tall, spectacled black man greets him with his unique accent. "Mr. Wick. So good to see you again. How can I assist you?"

"I have an appointment with the Sommelier."

"Very good sir. Shall I announce you?"

"Please."

The Receptionist picks up the phone and dials an extension. It rings twice before being answered. "Mr. Wick is here to see you …. I shall inform him." He hangs up and speaks to John. "He is finishing up with his current appointment, and will be done by the time you arrive."

"Thank You." John says, turning right before going down a hallway. As he approaches the door to the Sommelier, it opens as a man in a gray suit exits.

The man looks up and is surprised to see Wick there. "John" he says with a nod.

"Harry." John replies, nodding as well. They pass each other in the hallway.

"Good to see you back John." The man says as he leaves.

Wick pauses at the door, but continues inward to make his appointment.

The Sommelier looks up from his book keeping, smiling when he sees who it is. "Mr. Wick, so good of you to come by. How can I assist you?"

John walks up to the display table. "I'm here for my usual order."

"Well, well, well." The man says, smile growing wider. "It has been quite some time since you requested such items. One moment please." He turns around and pulls out a leather binder, perusing its contents. Finding the page he is looking for, he frowns before turning back to the customer. "Unfortunately, the flavor you order by the case is no longer sold through any distributor, though your usual custom flavors are still available. However, a different vineyard has come out with a new taste profile, one that our other customers say is better in every way." He looks up from the book. "I can guarantee that they will stand up to your rigorous standards."

"Better how?" John asks.

"Bolder taste and a more concentrated fragrance, though the alcohol is slightly stronger on the tongue. I have used it myself for several dinner guests, and I did not find it wanting."

"Did you guests complain?"

"No" he says with a smile, "they did not."

John thinks about it and nods in agreement. "Excellent." The Sommelier snaps the binder shut before putting it back on the shelf behind him. He then turns to the open ledger on the table, picking up a pen to write down the order. "One thousand rounds of jacketed hollow-point ammunition, 50 rounds of hand loaded Fire Dust ammunition, 50 rounds of hand loaded Lightning Dust ammunition and 50 rounds of hand loaded Frost Dust ammunition, all in 9mm. Shall I have it delivered to the usual location?"

"Yes please."

"Very well." He makes one final notation before putting the pen down and standing straight up, crossing his hands in front of him. "Can I assist you with anything else?"

"Yes," Wick says, "I am looking for a bottle that I could treat dinner guests to if I feel like having a quiet night out."

"Ah, yes. Perhaps for those who have sensitive hearing and more pronounced night vision?" The man questions, getting a nod in response. He ponders for a moment about the available selection. "I believe I have just the thing."

He turns to his left and approaches a display case filled with submachine guns and shotguns. Crouching down, he pulls out a key and unlocks the cabinet. It takes him a moment before he finds the wooden box he is looking for, withdrawing it before locking the cabinet once more.

Walking back to the display table, he puts the box down before opening it and turning the box around, revealing what is inside to the customer. "A Mistralian Vintage, the M1911A1. A classic." John picks up the gun and starts getting into combat stances with it, testing the weight and feel of the weapon. "Parkerized finish, front and rear slide serrations, custom checkered rose wood grips, raised tritium combat sights, an extended slide release, threaded barrel with Titanium nitride coating, a polished feed ramp and a flared magazine well for easier reloads. The standard 7 round capacity mags have been upgraded to 8 round combat magazines, of which four are included." He gestures to the black tube inside the velvet padded box. "The suppressor brings noise levels down to around 70 dB, which is made possible by the special mix of Dust metal used in its construction. Of course, it is only that quiet if using the correct sub sonic ammunition."

John is impressed. He finishes his inspection and puts the gun back in the box. "It's perfect."

"Glad to be of service sir. Shall I add this bottle and its accompaniment to your order?" He gets a nod in response. "Excellent." The Sommelier starts writing in the ledger again. "One Mistralian Bottle with accessories and 500 rounds of sub sonic hollow-point .45 ACP ammunition, to be delivered along with your usual order. I will have our Tailor add a shoulder holster." He looks up and smiles at Wick. "On the House, for a distinguished customer."

He finishes writing and closes the box, putting it to the side, still smiling. "Is there anything else?"

"No. That will be all, thank you." John pulls out five Gold Coins and puts them on the table. The Sommelier takes them and rings up the order on an old fashioned mechanical cash register, where he deposits the Coins in the metal till.

"Very good sir. Your order will be delivered tomorrow." John nods and turns to leave. As he reaches the door, the Sommelier says his parting words, causing John to stop. "And as always, it has been a pleasure doing business with you. I hope to see you again soon."

John quickly opens the door and leaves the room. He walks towards the Receptionist, who is currently on the phone once more. "Very good, I have you for three nights starting tomorrow. I will have your usual room ready for you." John sees that he is busy and simply nods to the man before turning towards the entrance.

The Receptionist hangs up and calls out to him. "Mr. Wick." John stops and half turns towards the desk. "The Manager is requesting to see you after your business with the Sommelier has concluded."

"Does he need to see me immediately?"

"From his tone of voice, I would presume sooner would be better than later."

"I see." He turns fully towards the Receptionist and approaches the table. "Where would I be able to find him?"

The Receptionists looks at his watch before answering. "The Manager should be finishing up his dinner just about now. You will find him at his usual table in the restaurant."

John nods in thanks before turning right and going down the same hallway. A doorman opens the double door at the end to an opulent room, richly decorated with wood and dark colors. Walking down the short staircase, he turns right and makes his way past the other diners to a corner booth.

Winston is wiping his mouth with a napkin when he sees Wick approach. "Johnathan" he says warmly in greeting, smiling at the approaching man. "Please, have a seat. Are you hungry? I've just finished eating but something can be prepared if you like."

"Thank you," John replies, sliding into the booth, "but I don't want to impose on your hospitality."

"Nonsense" Winston replies, as a waiter gathers the dirty dishes. As the waiter leaves, another comes by with a Martini for Winston and glass of Bourbon with Ice for John. Winston picks up his Martini and takes a sip. John doesn't answer while drinking from his own glass. "No? Very well then, onto business it is.

"The Tailor informs me that only two of your suits can be repaired. The third has too many bullet holes, cuts and blood stains." Winston gives the other man a look, but John simply ignores it. "Your clothes will be repaired in a week's time and delivered to your usual address. She also says that they have a new lining available, but only for new orders. She says to keep that in mind should you need some new clothing in the near future." John nods at the request, understanding what is being offered.

"Now we get to the real meat of the why I called you here." Winston signals one of the guards, who approaches the table with a rectangular wooden box. Winston takes the box and hands it to John, who opens it. Inside are 15 Gold Coins, all neatly lined up in a row.

"The Countess was robbed about three months ago. The contents were of a personal nature, ones that were not tied to her business dealings, so she did not want the issue to be broadcasted out to the world. She put out a quiet bounty of 10 Coins with Management for the return of the items. One of the locations you raided since your, ahem, 'retirement', contained the stolen items, which were returned to her by the police."

Winston finishes his Martini, which is swiftly taken away and replaced with another one. A normal person would be drunk by now, but Aura has a way of negating the effects of alcohol. "She put an open account on one of the thieves, for reasons I did not inquire, with a standard monetary reward. His body was found at the same location her stolen items were. As such, the money has been moved to your usual account and another 5 Coins were added to your reward, with her compliments."

John eyes the Coins before closing the box and moving to push it across the table. "Before you do something foolish," interrupts Winston before Wick can do anything, "like say, rejecting the payment out of some misguided principal about being retired, allow me to remind you that one does not dishonor the Countess lightly."

John pauses, contemplating the issue. Rejecting the reward would be a grave insult, especially to Seat Holder. At the same time, accepting payment would incorrectly indicate that he was back on the job market, which could bring some inconveniences later on. He reluctantly decides to take the payment, not wanting to draw the ire of someone on the High Table over something that is ultimately trivial.

Winston smiles as John puts the box away inside his coat jacket, before picking up his drink and finishing it in one go. He then stands up and nods to the Manager. "Winston."

"Johnathan." Winston says with a nod, raising his Martini glass in a toast. "Welcome Back."

John turns to leave and as he does so, sees the other patrons in the restaurant are all facing his direction, toasting him with their own drinks, welcoming him back to the Business.

He walks out of the restaurant, nodding to the Receptionist once more as he leaves the Hotel.

-|#|-

 **Beacon – Headmasters Office, Afternoon the Next Day**

Ozpin is finishing up a video conference call with Qrow and Ironwood. Glynda would normally be present as well, but she is currently supervising the trip to Forever Fall.

"So" says Ozpin, "we have no new leads on who attacked the Fall Maiden."

"Yeah" replies Qrow. The Hunter is currently in Atlas trying to follow the White Fang angle, and is currently sitting across from Ironwood in the General's private office. "I've gone over everything with James here, and we got nothin."

"Not entirely." Ironwood gives the other man the stink eye as Qrow pulls out his usual flask and takes a big drink. "The White Fang have been increasing their raids on Dust shipments to an almost zealous degree. They used to exclusively target the Schnee Dust Company, but now all Dust shipments are fair game, no matter who the supplier or the destination. At the current rate, more drastic measures will need to be taken to ensure that vital supply shipments are not disturbed."

"That's true James, but it doesn't have anything to do with Amber." Counters Qrow.

"No, but more resources against the Fang wouldn't hurt."

Ozpin hums to himself as he takes a sip from his coffee mug. "True. There is a large shipment of Dust coming soon from the SDC. I'll have extra security placed at the Docks when the shipment arrives."

"Yeah, about that Oz." Interjects Qrow, who puts away his flask. James immediately perks up, as it has to be something quite serious for the Hunter to forgo his booze. "I've been hearing some rumors lately about a new hire of yours. And I gotta tell ya, the rumor I heard is so outlandish, so outrageous, so utterly _stupid_ that I can't help but believe it's true. Because no one would lie about something like this."

Ozpin mentally prepares himself for an argument, strengthening his resolve with another sip of caffeine. "Oh? And what have the rumors been saying?"

Qrow didn't answer, merely looking at his boss for a few long moments. He found his answer, and it was not to his liking. "Holy shit." He states breathlessly. "You did it. You actually did it you crazy bastard."

"Qrow?" questions Ironwood.

"I mean" the Hunter continues, "You've done some crazy things. Desperate things as well. But this? You must have finally lost your mind." He lets out a mirthless laugh, taking out his flask and finishing what is left.

"Ozpin" states the General, pulling the Headmasters attention to him. "What is he talking about?"

"You didn't' hear?" Qrow half slurs. "Nah, of course you didn't. Your analysts probably dismissed the rumor." He lets out a burp. "I don't blame 'em. I wouldn't believe it either if I didn't know Ozzy so well."

"Qrow." James is nearly grinding his teeth. "What did Ozpin do?"

"Now now" Ozpin says, trying to dispel the current situation, "It's not as bad as-"

"He hired John Wick ta go after the White Fang."

Ironwood goes still before standing up and slamming his hands down on the desk. "Ozpin! Are. You! IN. SANE!"

The Headmaster tries to keep his voice calm. "I think the two of you are overreacting."

"It's John Wick! There is no such thing!" The general collapses back into his seat, covering his eyes with his metal hand and groaning. "Of all the people you could have hired, you chose him."

"I have everything under control."

"I highly doubt that." Says Qrow. Ironwood opens a drawer and pulls out his personal bottle of alcohol along with two cups. Pouring a generous portion into both, he takes one and starts drinking in measured amounts, while Qrow simply downed it all in one gulp. Ironwood doesn't even complain when Qrow takes the bottle and deposits an unhealthy amount of it into his own cup again. "How did you even get him to agree anyways? It made the rounds pretty heavily that he was out of the business five years ago."

"I shared what little information we had regarding the attack on the Fall Maiden, as well as our suspicions regarding the White Fang working in coordination with the attackers."

"Was that wise?" questions Ironwood, replenishing his own cup. The once full bottle is now mostly empty.

"Lying or withholding information from Mr. Wick would have been counter-productive in all instances. Be honest with him, he will be honest with you."

Qrow pauses in his drinking, looking at his Boss. "So how much you paying him anyways? I doubt the Council would agree ta such a large budget increase, especially with the Vytal Festival happening later this year."

"Nothing."

The two in Atlas stare at his video picture. "Nothing?" they both ask.

"I'm paying him nothing. He refused any payment from me when offered."

Qrow sighed in relief when he heard that payment had at least been offered. "Phew. Thought you did something stupid there like expecting him to work for free." A wondering look comes onto his face. "How much did you offer to pay him anyways?"

"One Coin per month for his services." He replies, taking another sip of coffee.

Neither Ozpin nor Ironwood miss the dumbfounded expression on Qrow's face. "What?"

"I thought it more than enough for what I asked of him."

"….Ozpin, you may know more about fairy tales and mythology than even Oobleck, but you shoulda come to me before offering Wick payment." Qrow bypasses the cup and drinks straight from the bottle instead. "Just be glad Wick isn't the type of person to be easily offended."

The Headmaster raises an eyebrow in question. Qrow continues at the look. "You think a single Coin means much ta someone like Wick? That's like paying me with a single bottle of beer, or you with a single mug of coffee. To someone starting out, a Gold Coin would look like a King's ransom. To Wick? I'd be surprised if he even keeps track of how many he has." Qrow tips the remaining contents of the bottle into this mouth, then makes a distressed noise when he realizes the bottle is empty.

"You know how difficult it was for us to obtain those coins." Ozpin argues stiffly.

"And I'm telling you, it doesn't matter. It's hard for us ta get them 'cause we're not part of them."

"We're getting off track." Interrupts Ironwood, "Ozpin, just make sure he doesn't go on a rampage."

"Nah, Wicks' too professional for that." Injects Qrow. "Unless you threaten or insult him personally." He pauses and looks at his boss. "You didn't do something like that, right? Remember, this is the man that killed over 80 people over a stolen car."

"No. Like I said, I merely showed him the information we had, and that Beacon would be in danger. He agreed after I mentioned Beacon."

"Ya know what? I don't wanna know." Qrow tips the bottle upside down to hopefully get a few more drops of alcohol, but is denied. He puts the bottle back on the table. "Just… make sure you don't double cross him. The best I could do is buy you some time to escape."

Ironwood grumbles to himself before saying out loud "I still don't like not knowing his motivation behind helping us. Someone like Wick doesn't do something like this without a good reason."

Qrow laughs. "If you wanna know, feel free to ask him. But ask yourself this: is the answer worth the cost?"

The General knows that Wick won't talk willingly, and starts to mentally put together a list of what would be required to bring him into custody. Ironwood winces when the number of hunter teams lost reaches double digits, as well as the need to write off an entire Battalion as combat ineffective pending graduation of their newest cadets.

"Thought so."

"James" interrupts Ozpin before the General can start an argument, "as long as we do not give Mr. Wick a reason to go against us, he will continue the assignment as he sees fit." A notice pops up on the Headmasters desk. "Glynda is coming back with the first years from Forever Fall. Is there anything else you two wish to discuss with me?" The two men on the monitor say nothing. "Very well then. Qrow, I'll contact you when I have another lead. James, I'll see you in our regularly scheduled meeting."

Ozpin disconnects and stands up, making his way towards where the Bullheads will land.

-|#|-

Team RWBY and JNPR are sharing the Bullhead ride back. The ones still standing are looking at Jaune with sympathy as he tries his best to keep the contents of lunch down while down while crouching on all fours.

"Careful there Vomit Boy." Teases Yang. "Don't want to ruin your image of rescuing Cardin by puking all over your friends now, do you?"

Pyrrha, who is currently crouched next to Jaune and gently massaging his back, gives Yang a look, even though she knows Yang doesn't mean it.

"Can't help it." Says the airsick boy. "I'm fine with cars, trains, even boats. But put me in an air vehicle and – ulp!" He puts a hand to his mouth and barely manages to keep the food down.

"You can do it Jaune!" cheers Nora, like this is some kind of sports event. "Jaune Jaune, he's our man, if he can't do it, I'll break his legs for getting puke on me!"

Ren face palms while everyone else slowly turn to look at the hammer wielding girl. "Nora…" Ren says, unsure of what to say.

"Kidding!" she says cheerfully. "Or am I?"

Ren goes to Nora while the others talk amongst themselves.

"So Jaune." Says Ruby, trying to distract him. "Your sword work is a lot better than before. Have you been practicing?"

"Yeah" his stomach flips, but he doesn't feel anything coming up. "Pyrrha's braaaaap– ugh, sorry." He holds a hand to his mouth again. "Pyrrha's been helping me practice quite a bit recently. She's the one to thank for my improving swordsmanship."

"Yes" says Weiss, "I can see where she has influenced your fighting style. With her assistance, your sword work has gone from atrocious to acceptable."

"Weiiiisssss" moans Ruby. She knows her partner means well, but the heiress could have said it more kindly.

"Ignore her" intervenes Yang. Weiss shoots her a glare that is not even noticed. "You took on those three Ursa pretty well, even managing to kill two of them before we got to you. A bit brutal though."

"Well" Jaune explains, "like Professor Port says, Grimm usually attack with their arms before using their teeth. _-ulp-._ So I cut their arms off in order to reduce their fighting options, like my Uncle taught me."

"Heh heh" chuckles Yang, "you can say that you Dis-Armed them, right Jaune?" She nudges Blake with her elbow. "Eh, eh?"

Those in the Bullhead groan at her terrible – and obvious – pun, but the vehicle lands before any of them can respond. Jaune desperately lunges for the door and pulls it open, exiting the aircraft and collapsing on solid ground while taking big gulps of air.

The others disembark at a more sedate pace. Jaune gets his stomach under control as the last student steps off the Bullhead. "Phew" he says standing up straight, "much better." He looks over at the other blonde. "Also, you need to work on your puns Yang."

Yang grins as she looks at him. "I'd like to see you try better vomit boy."

"Sure." He looks between Yang and her partner, who is wary on what is about to come. "You know, I've been noticing how different you and Blake are." The gathered friends all raise an eyebrow in question. "One is quiet, the other loud. She uses darker colors, you wear bright ones. One prefers to stay in, the other likes to party every weekend. It's like Blake is _-snrkt-_ it's like she's the Yin to your Yang."

Silence exploded like a bomb amongst their group. Blake looks pole axed, everyone else has a stunned expression while Jaune sports a goofy smile on his face. The silence is broken by uproarious laughter from Yang, who puts both Blake and Jaune in headlock. "Yin to my Yang!" she exclaims, "I didn't know you had it in you!"

The others laugh as well, though Pyrrha hides her smile behind a hand while Weiss tries and fails to keep a straight face. Blake has a frazzled expression and tries to extract herself from Yang's strong grip. Jaune tries to escape too, but not as hard as Blake is as he quite likes having his face squished against Yang's bountiful assets.

The Headmaster arrives, making his way towards the Deputy Headmistress. "Gylnda. Nothing too trying I presume?"

"No headmaster, though a team did get injured fighting off an ambush by three Ursa." She gestures towards team CRDL, who are currently supporting each other. "Thankfully, another team was able to assist them before any serious injuries could occur."

"Good to hear." He turns towards the student, before tapping his cane on the ground to produce a loud thumping noise that draws their attention to him. "Congratulations on completing your first Excursion outside of Beacon. Drop off your gathered sap at the collection point just inside the doors. Any who are injured should report to the infirmary. Dinner will be served in an hour. Dismissed."

Yang finally let go of the two as the teams make their way inside. She playfully punches Jaune in the shoulder as they reach their dorms to freshen up before dinner.

* * *

#

* * *

AN:

So that's chapter 3.

I hope the Yin and Yang joke is as funny/smart to you as it was to me. It's not that funny to me anymore, mainly because I ran it into the ground inside my head before I could write it out.

No action this time, but that will be made up for in the next chapter, which (foreshadowing) is the dock scene.

Chapter explains a few things, expands on some things, world building, character building, introductions, etc. The Sommelier will be back in a few more chapters, probably after the breach. Winston, not sure. The Receptionist at the Continental in New York actually has a name: Charon. They never say it in the movie though, so I don't either in the main story.

I'm a bit of a gun nut, so I'll explain for those of you who don't know what all the stuff about the handgun means.

Parkerizing= a way of treating the metal on the gun to prevent corrosion and wear. Better than blueing.

Front and Rear serrations = two areas on the slide to grip for easier racking.

Checkered Rose Wood Grips = Checkered grips for better handling, rose wood to make it look goooood.

Raised Tritium Combat Sights = Tritium is a slightly radioactive (safe unless ingested) glow in the dark compound. Makes shooting in the dark easier. The sights are raised, otherwise they would be blocked by the width of the suppressor.

Threaded Barrel with Titanium Nitride Coating = Threaded barrel for screwing the suppressor on. Titanium Nitride (TiN) coatings is a process that greatly hardens steel. Used mainly for tools, it's used by competition guns to greatly extend the life of a barrel. It also turns the barrel a gold color. If you see a highly customized gun with a gold barrel (not the slide, the barrel itself), it's undergone TiN hardening.

And finally, a suppressor that lowers the sound of a handgun to 70 dB is literally impossible to make right now. If you can find out how to make one, you are set for life as all the major governments of the world would buy up your design. For the uninitiated, a normal handgun is as loud as a jet engine during takeoff. Current suppressors make a gunshot *only* as loud as a jackhammer. Not exactly quiet. 70dB is busy street traffic. It's not a whisper, but much better than anything currently in existence.

I was thinking of writing an Omake. I have two in my head that I can think of right now. Yes/No? I can put one at the end of each chapter.

ETA next chapter: ?

Sorry.

That's all. Peace.

Gunkatas.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Docks

Chapter 4 – The Docks

 _Brrrrrrp. Brrrrrrp. Brrrrrr-click. "Operator, member account number please."_

"5903-5"

 _"_ _One moment while I verify your information."_

…

…

 _"_ _Membership has been verified, how may assist you?"_

"I need to be connected with member services."

 _"_ _One moment while I transfer your call."_

 _-pop-click-_ …

… _-click-"Member services, how may I assist you Mr. Wick?"_

"I require a car rental tonight. Something discrete, fast, but disposable. I need it as soon as possible."

 _"_ _We have just the car you are looking for. Shall I deliver it to your usual address?"_

"Yes please."

 _"_ _Very good sir, it will arrive within the hour. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"_

"What is the weather forecast over the Docks tonight?"

 _"_ _We received and processed another members request for minimal cloud coverage. Unless there is a complaint regarding excessive noise or a very catching light show, there should be no reason for the police to stop by."_

"I see. May I ask who made the request?"

 _"_ _Mr. Wick, you know that member request are kept in the upmost confidence."_

"My apologies. Thank you for your assistance."

 _"_ _You're welcome Mr. Wick. May you have a fruitful evening."_

/|-|\  
\|-|/

John pulls up to one of the gate entrances to the Dock, stopping the car just before it enters the lighted up area. He exits the car and walks into view of the two armed guards, the only two guards stationed at the Docks tonight.

"Good evening."

The two guards tense, knowing exactly who it is they are dealing with. "Good evening Mr. Wick." The guard on the left says. "Are you here on Business?"

He nods. "Afraid so." He looks back and forth between the two rapidly paling guards. "Why don't you two take the night off? The forecast says there will be quite a bit of hail and thunder."

The two guards turn their heads to look at each other. They know what's planned for tonight, but having someone like Wick here would turn a boring night of ignoring obvious thieves into a perilous night of dodging bullets. They both nod at the same time and slowly reach up to take out their ear pieces.

"Thank you." The guard on the left says, the other guard nodding. They walk off towards the city, not bothering to look back towards the posts they left behind.

John walks to the rear of the car and opens the trunk, revealing the tools he brought for the night. He pulls out an AR-15 with a 4x scope, a side mounted red dot sight, an angled vertical foregrip and two 30 round magazines clipped together for faster reloading. He has another two magazines stored in the small of his back, as well as the normal handgun and the suppressed 1911 he purchased from the Sommelier.

John puts the strap for the AR over his head, just as over a dozen Bullheads fly above the Docks, coming in from the ocean. He pulls back the charging handle, ensuring that a round is chambered. He then checks the two hand guns as well, ensuring they are ready to be used at a moment notice, flicking the safeties off on both of them.

Closing the trunk, he shoulders the rifle and makes his way towards where the Bullheads landed, steps silent.

A few minutes later, he peeks around a corner to see nine White Fang grunts checking the containers, looking for the ones that have the highest quantity of high quality dust crystals.

John slings the rifle behind him and pulls out the suppressed handgun, checking to make sure there is a full 8 round magazine plus one in the chamber, before silently stepping around the corner. The Terrorists don't hear him approaching until he is less than 7 meters away. One of the lookouts sees him and is about to yell but the Assassin opens fire, pulling the trigger just as the individuals start to turn around.

 _-left-right-right-center-right-left-center-center- left-_

Each terrorist dies to a headshot before they can fully turn around or even shout warning, much less shoot back. The only sound afterwards is the tinkling of brass on concrete and the thuds of bodies hitting the ground. He listens closely, but there is no shout of alarm so he remains undetected for now.

Wick reloads, storing the empty magazine in an inside jacket pocket, releases the slide and enters the maze of containers. Working his way through them, he calmly takes out the roving guard pairs, using a combination of hand to hand combat to silence and disorient them before putting a bullet through their heads.

 _-phut-phut-_

 _-throat strike-grapple-phut-hip throw-phut-phut-_

 _-phut-neck strike-phut-_

He goes through one and a half more magazines before finding the exit to an open space with three bullheads, one of which has a container strapped underneath it and is taking off. The other two are slowly being loaded with wooden crates by the Fang members.

John leans around the corner, counting the number of Terrorist and coming up with a plan of attack when a high powered round hits the container he is hiding behind inches from his face. He pulls back fully into cover and hears shouting.

"There's a human by the containers! North side!" a voice shouts. Over a dozen voices reply. John peeks around the corner again and tries to identify where the shot came from. Another bullet whizzes by him, and he sees a sniper posted in an over watch position on a container crane. He pulls back and holsters the handgun, pulling out the rifle. John then fully turns the corner and shoots at the sniper, - _pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-_ , not stopping until he sees the body jerk from the bullet impacts and fall off the crane.

With his cover now blown, Wick starts opening fire on the rapidly approaching Fang members, moving out of cover and towards the Bullheads. Each terrorist is shot at least twice, some getting more to ensure that they stay down. He reloads, using the rifle to block a sword strike and kicking the Faunus in the groin before shooting him in the head.

John runs towards the Bullheads, which are attempting to take off with their pilfered cargo. He boards the first one and kills the two pilots, allowing the second bullhead to successfully take off. The pilots forget to close the cargo doors in their haste, allowing Wick to shoot the crates of dust until one of them explodes, tearing the Bullhead apart and causing it to crash in fiery pieces.

Shots ping off the Bullhead he is standing in, and John returns fire on a group of Fang members that emerged from a different stack of containers. He approaches the opening, firing on the emerging terrorists without pause.

 _-pop-pop-pop-click-click-_

Out of ammo and no time to reload, he drops the AR and draws his handgun, firing one handed from the hip, _-blam-blam-blam-blam-_ , striking down even more Faunus until they stop appearing. Using the small opening, he holsters his handgun and shoulders the AR again, flicking the empty magazine to the side and slapping in a full one. Bullets loaded, he finishes off the Fang members on the ground with more headshots, _-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-_ , ensuring they stay down.

He moves to the gap in the maze of containers that they came out of. As he turns the corner left, a pair of hands grab the rifle and attempts to wrench it out of his hands. John keeps a tight grip however, but the sudden pull has him stumbling forward in between the containers. Using his superior strength, Wick leverages the rifle back and forth between the container walls, slamming the Cow Faunus into them, but the terrorist refuses to let go.

John sees more Grunts coming towards him, so he lets go of the forward grip and grabs the terrorist holding his rifle by the shoulder, while his foot slams down on the Terrorists instep. A scream tears out of the Cow Faunus's throat, but Wick ignores it as Terrorists keeps the rifle steady, allowing him to shoot the approaching grunts while his foot keeps the Faunus in place. Once the approaching enemies are dealt with, Wick punches the Faunus once in the head to disorient and once in the ribs to weaken the grip, allowing John to grab his arm and flip him to the ground, where the Assassin shoots him in the head.

Wick then turns around and cants the rifle to the left, aiming down the red dot sight to shoot three Faunus trying to rush him from behind, before aiming up and shooting two more that are on top of the containers. He then turns back towards the way he was initially facing, still looking down the red dot sight. He moves forward in between the metal cargo boxes, looking for the one in charge of this operation.

/|-|\  
\|-|/

Blake has made a mistake. Her right hand can barely grip Gambol Shroud and keep her from falling on her face while the other arm goes across her stomach to cradle her broken ribs. To her left is Sun Wukong, unconscious with his back against a container. He got knocked out by Roman Torchwick via a dust round to the face.

 _'_ _How can this criminal be so strong?!'_ thinks Blake. After the fight with Weiss and her decision to resign from Beacon, Blake came to the Docks to prove that the White Fang are not responsible for the dust robberies. Sun decided to come along for some reason, and he proved to be extremely difficult to ditch.

The Cat Faunus was proven wrong however, when the Bullheads descended and disgorged White Fang troops in full uniform. They knew what to look for, and started moving crates of dusts onto the Bullheads. She even saw two entire shipping containers get attached to the airships and be carried away. Blake was too shocked and heartbroken to do anything until the entrance of Roman Torchwick, who started ordering around the White Fang grunts. Knowing something was wrong, she made her move when gunshots distracted all the thieves. The majority of them followed Torchwick's order to investigate the gunshots, which are still going on even now.

When the majority of the Faunus left, Blake used the distraction to get the drop on the Thief, getting behind him and putting her sword to his throat. She demanded answers, but he merely laughed and shot an explosive dust round at her feet, forcing her to let go. The few Fang grunts that stayed opened fire on her as well, which is when Sun decided to drop in and knocked them out.

They both engaged Torchwick in combat, using everything they have in their arsenal, dust rounds, speed, skill, techniques, but the Thief blocks and dodges like he isn't even trying. Not even liberal use of both their respective semblances work, the criminal dissipating Sun's clones and ignoring Blake's. His counterattack was swift and brutal, using the cane to hook Blake's neck before kneeing her in the stomach, breaking her aura and ribs at the same time, launching her backwards towards a container.

He then smacks Sun in the face with Melodic Cudgel, spinning the monkey Faunus around before shooting Sun point blank in the face, knocking him out as he flies through the air to land beside Blake.

The Cat Faunus tries to stand, but the pain in her abdomen is too much and she cries out instead. Roman chuckles, and another group of Fang grunts approaches to apprehend the two Hunters in training. "What are you doing?" the Thief questions. The grunts stop their approach. "I've got this handled, you lot" he points towards the containers that the gunshots are still coming from - _pop-pop-blam-_ , "handle that." The gathered Faunus look at him uncertainly. "Chop chop now. We're on a time crunch here." The Terrorists grudgingly move towards the containers, leaving the Thief alone with the two teenagers.

"I swear, those animals are useless." Roman mutters, before turning his attention back to Blake. "Now, I wonder how you knew we would be here tonight."

"You won't get away with this Roman" Blake hisses, the pain from her broken ribs flaring with every word and breathe. "We'll stop you. I swear it."

"Yes, because you've done such a bang up job so far. Why, I believe you two managed to wrinkle my clothes before I knocked out your boyfriend and broke your ribs."

Blake growls in anger, not taking note of the gunshots that are growing louder. "How! Ruby fought you and she didn't get hurt!"

Roman pauses, a questioning look on his face. "Ruby?"

"She stopped the dust robbery of a store you took part in! It's what got her into Beacon!"

Roman rubs his chin in thought, going through all the store robberies he can think of. It took a bit of time due to the sheer number of thefts he's done recently, but he recalls the one she is talking about. "Oh!" he smacks a fist into an open palm, "You're talking about Red aren't you?" Blake's growl is his answer. He laughs at her response. "This is interesting. What exactly did little Red tell you?" he asks, genuinely curious.

"She was in the store when you and your men tried to rob it." Blake grimaces in pain, continuing to talk through clenched teeth. "She fought you and your men and you escaped."

Roman smirks. "Is that what she says happened? Listen Kitty, if we had fought, Red would either be dead or in a hospital right now."

Confusion spreads across Blake's face. "What? If you didn't fight, why did you run away?"

Roman rests both hands on top of his cane. "What makes you think I was running away from her?"

They are both distracted as a group of Fang grunts stumble out of the container maze where the gunshots are coming from. They turn back towards the gap they just exited, weapons raised but are cut down by a hail of bullets.

 _-pop-pop-pop-pop––blam-blam-_

One of the grunts cradles a gut wound, lifting one hand to try and ward off the gunman, but John Wick steps out fully into view and finishes the Faunus off with a headshot, the slide locking back empty.

The Assassin pauses, turning his head left to see Roman standing over a teenager.

"John." Roman says, moving away from Blake towards the open area.

"Roman." John answers, straightening from his combat stance, releasing the slide and holstering his handgun.

"Busy night?" Roman asks, now standing in the middle of an empty space.

"So far." John replies, lifting the rifle sling over his head and leaning the AR against a container before walking towards the Thief.

"Done for the day?" Roman taps Melodic Cudgel on the ground, tightening his grip on the weapon.

"Afraid not." John stops about twenty meters away from Torchwick.

Roman's eyes narrow. "I'm sorry to hear that."

They stand, staring at each other.

Blake looks at them, unsure what is going on until they both _move._

Her eyes widen as they seem to disappear before meeting in the center. She can barely keep up with their movements. She thought Ruby was fast, but Blake could at least follow her team leader's semblance. With these two, they are barely more than a blur using nothing but pure physical force.

Each strike from the two produces a shockwave that reverberates through the air. Each movement is choreographed, practiced, and made to kill. Blake realizes now that Roman was merely toying with her and Sun, and that he could have killed them easily had the Thief wished for it. Only curiosity had spared their lives.

Knowing how powerless she is against Roman, Blake can only watch in awe as she sees the Thief being _pushed back_. He is losing ground to the newcomer, and can barely keep up with the ferocious assault.

Roman knows he is screwed. The only reason he is barely holding ground is due to Melodic Cudgel giving him a reach advantage, one that won't last long. If Neo was here, their teamwork may be able to bring Wick to a draw, her illusions providing temporary distractions, but she isn't and he needs an escape plan.

Roman's eyes widen as Wick grabs him by the sleeve and shoulder throws Roman to the ground. The Thief immediately rolls away, dodging a downward punch that cracks the asphalt where his head was. Getting to his feet, Roman jumps sideways to evade an axe kick that creates a crater and generates a gust of wind strong enough to nearly blow his hat off. The reprieve is short lived, as Wick immediately closes the distance and continues his assault.

Roman is constantly back pedaling, avoiding the strikes by the skin of his teeth. Desperate, he tries to counter attack, only realizing at the last moment that it was a trap.

Wick pushes the arm down and uses his left hand to strike a pressure point on Roman's chest, locking the Thief up for a brief moment. Grabbing Roman's shoulder with his left, John pulls back his right hand, infusing his entire body with aura and punching Torchwick in the chest.

The impact creates a powerful shockwave that cracks the concrete beneath them, creating a gust of wind that makes Blake's eyes squint as her hair flies backwards, while launching Roman a hundred meters into a metal container. His body creates an indention and tips the container upwards, nearly causing it to fall over before it comes back down heavily right side up.

Roman falls to his feet as the container rights itself, dropping his crossed arms and crying out in pain. If he hadn't crossed his arms, his chest cavity would be crushed and he'd be dead. If he hadn't inlaid Melodic Cudgel along the outside of his arm, they would both be shattered and he would be vulnerable to even civilians.

Melodic Cudgel is crushed, the barrel flattened so he can't shoot with it anymore, though it can still be used as a striking tool. He can tell that the bones in his right forearm are cracked, his left forearm and chest is fine, but the strike still depleted most of his Aura.

Roman looks up and sees Wick still posed in his final strike, steam coming off his entire body from the sheer amount of energy expanded. The Assassin straightens from his stance and casually adjusts both his cufflinks before straightening his tie, all the while never breaking eye contact with Roman.

"Prick" Torchwick mutters. If he did that, he would look like a strutting peacock. Wick manages to do it while looking suave and refined.

John walks forward, intent on finishing the fight. Roman struggles to straighten himself, reinforcing his cracked bones with aura, knowing he won't survive another engagement. He wonders what he can do to escape, when the sounds of Bullheads draws his attention to the night sky.

Four of the flying craft are approaching their location. Roman smiles as they open fire on Wick, causing the Assassin to dodge the incoming bullets and giving Roman the opportunity to flee.

Wick rolls to his feet as the Bullheads pass overhead. Three continue their course while one makes a loop back around, no doubt going for another gun run. Contemplating his options, John reaches into an inner pocket and pulls out one of the special Dust rounds, a Lightning round specifically. He then pulls out his handgun and loads the bullet in the chamber, releasing the slide and taking a two handed stance, aiming at the approaching craft.

The Bullhead comes in a straight line for him, descending in altitude while bringing its weapon to bear. John waits patiently, looking for the perfect moment. He finds it and pulls the trigger just before the Bullhead opens fire.

The Lightning round exits the barrel of the gun at tremendous speed, leaving a streak of yellow light along its path before impacting the left engine nacelle of the Bullhead. Yellow electricity arcs along the outer hull, shutting down first one then both engines and putting the aircraft into an uncontrolled downward spin.

John straightens and turns left, casually walking towards where Blake and Sun are while reloading, holstering the gun when he is finished. Behind him, the Bullhead crashes and skids along the ground, creating sparks and spilling fuel that catches fire before the aircraft explodes and creates a wall of flames that separate the Docks in two.

Blake is frightened, unsure if he is an ally, another criminal, or something else. She tries to stand, but the pain is too much and cries out instead when she jostles her broken bones.

"BLAKE!" a voice yells, quickly followed by a flurry of rose petals, revealing a red cloaked girl wielding a large scythe.

/|-|\  
\|-|/

Ruby stands in front of her teammate, staring down the man who just stopped approaching. She doesn't know who he is, though she recognizes him from the night of the dust store robbery. He knows Roman Torchwick, Roman is a criminal which means this man must be a criminal also! It all fits! He must have hurt Blake as well the meanie!

"Friend Ruby, is this black haired Cat Faunus the friend you are searching for?" The owner of the new voice lands next to the Red Reaper.

 _'_ _Argh!'_ Ruby thinks, _'I forgot about Penny! Why didn't she leave like I told her to!'_

Ruby thinks back to their arrival at the docks, shortly after a large explosion attracted their attention. She went through one of the entrances, passing by a seemingly abandoned car to investigate. Penny decided to stick with her for some reason, even though they only met a few hours earlier (though it honestly felt like days – _'no, bad Ruby, don't say mean things about people, even if they're difficult to dea – no, bad, stop that'_ ).

What Ruby saw there made her nauseous, almost making her vomit. She tried not to look at the dead bodies too closely, but had to follow their trail to find out what was going on. Stuck in one of the many corridors of cargo containers, she finally had enough when Bullheads flew overhead and started firing on something she couldn't see. Ruby jumped on top of the stacked containers, telling Penny to go back out and call the police. Ruby then spots what looks like a streak of lightning strike a Bullhead, causing it to crash. She peers through her sniper scope and sees the man that is no doubt responsible for it walking towards her teammate, which leads to their current situation.

"Penny, this man is dangerous. You need to stay back."

"Alright Friend Ruby, but I believe your Cat Faunus Friend is severely injured. I recommend immediate medical attention in order to preserve her life functions."

"I understand Penny but – wait, Cat Faunus?" Ruby turns to Blake and sees her uncovered ears for the first time. "Blake, you're a Cat Faunus? Why did you – never mind right now." She turns back towards Wick. "I'll hold this man off, you get Blake and the banana thief out of here."

Ruby crouches, but a hand on her shoulder stops her from moving. "One moment Friend Ruby." Penny looks at John and something shifts in her eyes. "Scanning. Accessing database. Match found.

"Name: John Wick, AKA The Baba Yaga. Affiliation: Classified. Threat Level: Extremely High. No military unit is to engage John Wick in combat with anything less than two full Hunter teams or two full companies of soldiers. Retreat if possible, negotiate if retreat unfeasible. Further information restricted to Blue level authorization and above."

Penny turns to face Ruby. "You would not last long enough for me to evacuate your Friend and the banana thief. If you wish to fight him, I will fight alongside you."

"You would do that for me?" Ruby gets a nod back in response. "Penny, do you even know how to fight?"

"No worries Friend Ruby." Blades come out of her back, fanning out before the float around her. "I am Combat Ready."

John sighs as Ruby grins. The young Reaper crouches again, but her movement is once more stopped by a hand reaching out to grab her, this time by the calf.

"Don't!" yells Blake, gritting her teeth at the pain such an action creates. "Don't fight him. You can't - _ssssst_ \- you're no match for him."

"Blake" Ruby pleads "we have no choice. You heard Penny, I won't be able to fight him on my own, I need her help."

"He'll kill you!" Blake tightens her grip on Ruby. "He'll _-agh-_ kill you. I won't let you _-errgh-_ I can't let you die for my mistakes."

Ruby hesitates. She's never seen Blake so adamant about something. Combined with Penny's warning, she knows that fighting the man in combat would be a Bad Idea.

Meanwhile, John looks behind him and sees the remaining Bullheads take off towards the ocean. Realizing that any survivors would have left by now, Wick decides that his job is done for the night. He turns away from the arguing teenagers and walks towards where he put his AR.

Saying nothing, he picks up his rifle and puts the strap around his shoulders, before walking off towards where he parked his car, all the while being watched by a Faunus, a Human and an Android.

Ruby sighs in relief as the man disappears into the night. "Soooo… all's well that ends well?"

The pain is finally too much for Blake, causing her fall down and pass out. Penny speaks, "Your Cat Faunus Friend has just fallen unconscious due to the massive amount of pain she is currently experiencing."

"Blake!" Ruby yells, putting away Crescent Rose and kneeling next to her friend. "Oh no, oh no, what do we do! What do I do! Penny!" Ruby turns towards the only other conscious person around, "Did you contact the police like I told you to?"

"No worries Friend Ruby." Penny smiles while putting away the swords. "The Police should be here momentarily, as well as a Medical Bullhead for your Friend and the banana thief."

Ruby sighs in relief. She holds on of Blake's hands in her own. "Don't worry Blake. Everything's going to be fine. You and Weiss will make up, and everything will go back the way they were before." She squeezes Blake's hand. "Just hold on until the Doctors get to you ok?"

Ruby stays by her team mate, blinking tears away from her eyes. _'She'll be fine'_ Ruby thinks, repeating the thought over and over in her mind. _'She'll be fine. She'll be fine. The police will be here soon, and they can take care of Blake. She'll be fine.'_ Ruby squeezes Blake's hand again and waits.

 **\- Elsewhere**

Wick is in the middle of driving back home. The arrival of four teenagers is unexpected, but it's not like Roman to arbitrarily kill Hunters in training. The heat from Beacon would astronomical, and he's not powerful enough to sweep something like that under the rug.

His scroll rings, and John pulls it out to answer.

 _'_ _This is the Operator, I have a transfer request from Roman Torchwick. Do you accept the call?"_

John thinks about it for a moment. "Yes."

 _"_ _Connecting you now." –click-click-thunk-_ _"Evening John."_

"..."

 _"_ _So uh, I wanted to talk to you about what happened tonight. Are you free tomorrow?"_

"…When and where."

 _"_ _Wonderful. Usual place, around 8 work for you?"_

"Yes."

 _"_ _See you there John."_

The call disconnects, Wick puts away his Scroll and continues driving.

 **/|-|\  
\|-|/**

 **The Next Day – Vale General Hospital, Hunters Ward**

Ruby sighs in relief as she exits Blake's room. Doctors say Blake will make a full recovery. Even better, Blake and Weiss have made up! Her team is back! Everything is coming together!

"Miss Rose" calls out the stern voice of Miss Goodwitch.

Everything is falling apart!

"Follow me" orders the Deputy Headmistress.

Ruby does as she's ordered, not knowing what's going to happen. " _Will Blake get expelled? Will I get expelled for helping Blake? Arrested? Sent to prison? I'm too young to go to prison! What if I never see Yang again? Or Dad? Or Zwei? Will they send me away for so long I'll be an old woman by the time I get out of jail? I can't go to prison, I have so much more stuff to do!"_

"Headmaster, Miss Rose as requested."

"I didn't do it!" Ruby blurted.

Ozpin pauses. "I haven't said anything."

Ruby laughs nervously, looking around to see that they are in an empty hospital room. The Headmaster is by the window, Goodwitch standing by the door. "Eh-heh, sorry. Just a little nervous that's all."

"It's quite alright Miss Rose." Ozpin takes a sip from his ever present mug of coffee. "Neither you nor Miss Belladonna are in trouble for what occurred last night." Glynda coughs by the door. "Well, not in serious trouble. But for now, I wish to know what you experienced."

"Well…" Ruby starts, scratching the side of her head. She then tells Ozpin and Goodwitch all that occurred the previous day. From the argument between Weiss and Blake, to meeting Penny, the explosions that drew her attention, the dead bodies and culminating in finding Blake.

"…then the police came, followed by the Medics. They took Blake here, and, well… here we are."

"I see." Ozpin finishes his cup and pulls out a thermos to refill it. "Thank you. That matches the report we received from Miss Polendina."

"Penny!" Ruby yells, "I completely forgot about her! Is she ok? I haven't seen her since last night."

"Calm down Miss Rose" Ozpin explains while chuckling, "Miss Polendina is perfectly fine. She is currently with her guardians."

"Phew" Ruby wipes some sweat off her brow, "That's good."

"Indeed. That will be all for now. You are free to leave, though I ask that you keep what happened last night strictly amongst your team mates. We need to keep information from getting out while the investigation is ongoing."

Ruby nods. "Yes sir." She turns around and exits the room, closing the door behind her.

Ruby leans back against the door and exhales in relief.

"Ruby?" asks a boy's voice. The girl in question looks up and sees Team JNPR approaching, with Jaune holding a small bouquet of flowers.

Ruby perks up. "Hey Jaune. Those for Blake?" She falls in step with them as they go towards the injured girl's room.

"Yeah. Nora said that we had to bring her a gift, and they're always bringing flowers to people in hospitals on TV, so…"

The younger girl laughs. "I'm sure she'll like them." Doubtful, but it's the thought that counts.

They reach the room that Blake is recuperating in. Ruby knocks on the door and hears Yang say "Come in." She opens the door and lets JNPR in.

"Oh" Ruby begins, "I forgot to mention, Blake is a-"

"KITTY!" Yells Nora the moment she enters the room. Throwing aside all decorum, Nora launches herself forward to hug Blake, knocking Weiss over in her chair. She backs up and starts examining Blake's ears. "Oh my gosh, you. Have. Cat. Ears." She plays with them, engraving how they feel into her memory. "Ren, look, Blake has Cat ears. Aren't they cute? Why of course they are, they're the cutest thing ever! Well, not really. I mean, sloths are cuter, they're hard to beat, but these Ears!" She plays with them again, ignoring Blake's scowl and attempts to push her away.

Weiss picks herself up from the floor, dusting herself off with irritation while Yang laughs by the window. "Nora" Weiss snaps, "Blake is injured you dolt. She needs rest in order to recover properly."

Nora turns to Weiss, mouth open. "You want them for yourself, don't you?!" she accuses, hugging Blake's head to her chest while ignoring everything the heiress said. "I knew it! Ren! Help me, we must keep Blake's head free for all to pet! Specifically for me!"

Ren face palms but moves to disentangle Nora from the injured girl. Jaune doesn't know what to do while Ruby and Pyrrha giggle at Nora's antics. Once the two are separated (which involved a whispered promise between Ren and Nora), Jaune approaches Blake with the bouquet.

"Here" he says, holding them out. "This is from everyone. We weren't sure what to get you, so we had the florist put together something that conveys best wishes and proper healing."

"Thank you" Blake replies with a small smile, taking the flowers. She brings them to her nose and sniffs them, before letting out a small sneeze. Nora immediately tries to jump forward and hug Blake again, but is restrained by Ren. Unfortunately for the Cat Faunus, Yang is much closer and has no one to stop her.

"That's so cuuuute!" Yang squeals, pulling Blake face first into what she calls her 'babies.' The girl in question flails in response, trying to get free. Weiss pulls Blake back onto the bed and starts to berate Yang, while a red faced Jaune is unsure of what to do. Pyrrha is left laughing at their antics.

Ruby stays by the door and smiles at everyone, glad that everything is back to normal.

 **\- A few minutes earlier**

Glynda Goodwitch watches Ruby exit the room, waiting until she hears her footsteps retreating before turning to Ozpin.

"I told you it was a bad idea to recruit John Wick."

Ozpin lowers his mug. "How did you come to that conclusion?"

"One student seriously injured, one transfer student also hospitalized with a concussion, and that's not including the massacre at the Docks nor the damage done there." Having one of her students hospitalized with life threatening injuries is bad enough, but the _body count_ left behind in one man's wake made her sick to her stomach.

"Come now Glynda. We both know Mr. Wick is not the kind of man to do things by half measures."

"Which is exactly why I was against bringing him into this in the first place."

"I know, I know. You have made your displeasure at his inclusion more than once." He sips from his mug once more. "But without him, we would have two dead students and several million Lien worth of Dust stolen."

"At the cost of 83 dead Faunus?"

"At the cost of 83 dead Terrorists." Ozpin glances out the window. "Every one that Wick kills is one less we have to deal with." He glances at his watch. "Come, we need to inform the Council of what has occurred. We need to type up and include Miss Belladonna's account with the police report."

 **/|-|\  
\|-|/**

 **Later that Evening, Continental Lounge – 7:59 PM**

Roman sits at a table, drinking by himself. He arrived five minutes early as a matter of courtesy, and because Wick is known to be punctual. Melodic Cudgel is getting repaired, and he's had a Doctor speed up the healing on his arm. It's not quite healed, but should be back to normal within a week.

At exactly 8 PM, John Wick walks into the Lounge and takes a seat across from Roman.

"John," Roman says, pouring Rum into a cup and sliding it across to the other man.

"Roman," John replies. He waits a moment before picking up the cup and taking a sip. Roman relaxes a bit at the action, glad that Wick is at least willing to listen.

"Thank you for meeting me." Roman pauses and clears his throat. "Well, I never thought I'd need to have this conversation, but here I am, and there you are. So uh…" Wick just sits in his chair and stares at Roman.

The Thief clears his throat. "Right. So, as I was trying to say, I would rather not have a repeat of last night. I was wondering if we could come to an agreement of sort. One where if you come across me during one of my robberies, I stop, pay you a certain amount of Lien, you let me go with what I have pilfered up to that point and you don't kill me or anyone that I happen to be with."

John stays silent for longer than Roman is comfortable with before asking a question. "Would these robberies be for the same client as last night?"

Roman hesitates. "Yes."

Wick stands and buttons up his suit. "Roman." He then turns around and leaves the Lounge.

Roman drops his head in his hands and sighs heavily. Light footsteps approach the table and take the seat vacated by Wick. Looking up, Roman sees Neo look at him questioningly. He merely motions to the still full cup, and Neo grimaces at the implication. She picks it up and finishes the drink. She normally enjoys the sweetness, but now it tastes like failure and death.

"I think it would be best if we leave Vale for a while." Roman says, pouring himself another drink. He pauses as Neo holds the empty cup, and he refills it for her. Roman's fingers tap the table in thought. "Our client wants us to procure some items from Atlas. Feel like heading north?"

* * *

#

* * *

This is longer than I meant it to be. I could have just left it at Blake collapsing, but realized that would be a major no-no, so I had to put in the hospital scene, then get Ozpin and Glynda's take on what happened. The argument between Ozpin and Glynda was supposed to be longer, until I realized it brought unneeded drama to the story, and I had no way out of it. If it seems short, that's because it is.

So, the Docks. I changed it up a bit. Roman brought more White Fang than in the show, because he knows Wick is onto him, and wants as many bodies between them as possible. He also shows up late to the Docks, again because he knows Wick will be there. He comes later so that again, he hopes that if Wick shows up, he can abort and leave the White Fang to die.

5903-5. That's not a random number. When John goes to get his hidden suit and coins, he tells the banker(?) 5903.5. So I put that as his continental account number.

We didn't see Penny go all terminator this chapter, mainly because it focuses on John and shows off what he can do against a full blown Hunter. And yes, I did give Roman an upgrade, but I had to in order to make him somewhat equal to John, otherwise he would have died this chapter. And yes, Roman does not fight Ruby in the first episode. He just shoots at her and runs away. Against Blake and Sun, he was holding his own pretty well, not getting hit unless the two ganged up on him. The cast of RWBY is strong, don't get me wrong, but against a matured and experienced Hunter, they still have a ways to go.

Speaking of the fight between Roman and John, all the fights in the John Wick franchise have him killing/defeating the competent enemies in hand to hand combat (Vigo's top henchman [the scene where they hold a bag over his head to kill Wick], Vigo, Cassian, Aries). He uses a gun on the minions because they're not good enough to warrant any more of his attention.

Also, not sure how many people got it, but everything in the John Wick universe is very ritualized when it comes to agreements and business. Speaking someone's name, nodding, drinking, each and every one of them has a meaning. John doesn't say much, so his actions have to speak for him. Roman has a good idea of what they mean, but he's not deep enough in the Organization to understand all the nuances.

And why Rum for Roman? Rum is what pirates drink. Pirates are thieves. Roman is a thief. Rum-Pirates-Thief-Roman. That simple.

One last thing. The classified levels follow the Roy G Biv (Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet). Red is lowest level classified (military knows but not civilians) and Violet is highest classified (only Ironwood knows the full details). Blue would include people of Winter Schnee's level of access.

Next chapter will happen between volume 1 and 2, probably occur outside of Vale in Atlas. The Paladin hijacking is never shown, so I want to flesh that out a bit (and have something occurring that is original).

No Omakes right now, don't feel like it for this chapter.

Peace,

Gunkatas


End file.
